Changes
by sarini
Summary: COMPLETE! He made a decision. No one else would die because of him. Harry's sixth year at Hogwarts, reflecting all the events of the Healing series. Multiple Pairings.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: See bio

Pairings: Harry/ Susan, Harry/ Lisa, Ron/ Hermione

Note: Changes is a companion piece to the other Healing stories. It takes into account the events of all three other stories. To avoid confusion please read the stories in their intended order. This one is much more fun that way.

Changes

Part One

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

He came to a decision that night, one that would change his life. No one was ever going to die because of him again. The decision came about as he stared at the cracks in the ceiling of the smallest bedroom at number four Privet Drive. He had gotten no more than a few hours of sleep each night since he had arrived from school two weeks ago. Combined with the chores he had to do at the Dursleys' house and the diet of Dudley's in which he was still forced to participate, the lack of sleep was taking its toll on the fifteen-year-old boy.

He would need to start sleeping again if he was to abide by his decision. To sleep he would have to get rid of the nightmares. To get rid of the nightmares he would have to study Occlumency again.

How many fifteen-year-olds were kept awake night after night by visions of death, torture, and destruction? How many fifteen-year-olds had a psychopathic murder who fashioned himself as a Dark Lord seeking to kill them? Probably the only one that existed was Harry Potter, underage wizard and student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Harry swung his legs over the side of his bed and, kneeling on the floor, felt under the bed for the loose floorboard where he hid his most prized possessions. This summer he was allowed to keep his trunk and school things in his room. His window was open all day and night so Hedwig, his snowy owl, could swoop in and out at her leisure. Still, though, several items remained under the floorboard. Harry did not trust the Dursleys, especially when they were acting out of fear.

The loose floorboard came up easily and Harry pulled out an old pillowcase. Inside was his invisibility cloak, his photo album with pictures of his parents, ink, quills, parchment, and some books. His broom was still at Hogwarts. He had been too distracted at the end of the year to ask for it back, not that he could use it in the muggle suburb. His wand was on his person at all times in case of emergency. He pulled out a sheet of parchment, a quill, and a bottle of ink. He had to write to one of the few people he would rather not see ever again. Sitting at the desk in his room he composed the letter carefully, as interception of owls was a possibility.

_Professor,_

_I regret many of my actions of this past year. I wish to return to my studies. If you agree we can start whenever you are ready._

He left it unsigned. If Snape couldn't figure out what he meant, or who it was from, then Dumbledore would surely be able to. Harry leaned back and waited for Hedwig to return from hunting. He rubbed his forehead. That gesture was becoming more and more common, as his scar itched on a constant basis now. On occasion it would burn, and Harry would know that Voldemort was either particularly pleased, or very angry. The pain flared after nightmares and he often woke fighting the impulse to scream his head off. Screams would wake his uncle, though, and Harry did not want to find out the result of that.

Hedwig flew in the window and landed on Harry's shoulder. She dropped a dead mouse in Harry's lap and Harry looked at her with raised eyebrows. She hooted and nipped his ear as if to say, 'Look, I've brought you a present.'

"Thanks Hedwig, but I'll live with what the Dursleys give me. You can have the mouse," he smiled as he stroked her feathers. "I need you to take this to Professor Snape. It's not addressed so give it only to him, and only get near him if he's at Hogwarts or alone. Don't go anywhere near any Death Eaters, girl."

He tied the parchment to her leg and she gave him an indignant hoot, 'Of course not, I'm not stupid.' Hedwig then gave him an affectionate nip on his ear. She flew out his window and disappeared into the night, flying faster than he had ever seen her fly before. She too had learned from the events of the previous year.

Harry lay back down on his bed. He closed his eyes and worked on clearing his mind. It was difficult with all the events of the past year racing through his mind. He gave up and thought of all the things he could have done differently. He had done this many times already and was convinced that he had made some poor choices, but would probably have done the same again if he relived it all. It was his nature to rush in and act before thinking. Now he would have to train himself so next time he rushed to the rescue he would be prepared.

For all he knew next time would be the last time. The prophecy did state that either Voldemort would kill him or he would kill Voldemort. Harry did not want to be a murderer, had no idea if he even could kill, but he wanted to live. So in order to live, he would have to kill. This thought alone was enough to cost him many hours of sleep, even without the nightmares and visions.

Knowing he would not be able to sleep, Harry got out the defense books that Sirius and Remus had given him for Christmas. Just looking at them brought up memories of his godfather and Harry had not been able to open them since that night at the Department of Mysteries. Bile rose in his stomach and his head pounded. Harry pushed back his grief. Getting himself killed would be an insult to Sirius's sacrifice for him, and his mother's and father's as well.

Harry read until the words blurred. He practiced the wand movements of various offensive and defensive spells with an empty hand. He didn't dare work on them with his wand in hand, in case he accidentally performed magic. The last thing he needed to do now was get expelled. He was working on shields when he started to feel a deep exhaustion. He summoned just enough energy to put his books away before he fell asleep.

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

Minerva McGonagall sat down to breakfast in the great hall at Hogwarts. She leaned her cane against the single table in the cavernous room. As usual, she was the first to breakfast. Her morning walks were shorter this year than they had been for her past forty years at Hogwarts. The attack during the Astronomy O.W.L. had left her with a painful limp which the healers assured her would go away soon. At fifty-nine she healed a bit more slowly than she used to.

She massaged her right knee as she considered breakfast. A true Scottish woman, she had a large breakfast each morning. She piled eggs, baked beans, fried toast, and sausage onto her plate. She had finished her food and was enjoying her tea when the other professors that stayed over the holidays began trickling in.

Severus Snape was the first to join Minerva, as usual. He grunted in response to her cheerful hello. Severus was not a morning person. As she thought about it, he was not an afternoon or evening person either. Severus tended to be irritable regardless of the hour of the day. She chuckled softly, drawing a scowl from the younger man. As much as he taunted Sirius Black for being stuck at Grimmauld Place by Albus, Severus was equally stuck at Hogwarts. If he left the castle for a holiday Voldemort would call him with much greater frequency.

The table was soon as full as it would get that morning. Sibyl would no doubt stay in her tower. The only thing that could pull her away was some ridiculous vision in her crystal ball. Albus was sitting a few seats up from her and chatting with Hagrid, who was exhibiting many fewer bruises than last term. Albus had told him in no uncertain terms that he was to find a new home for his little brother. Having the small giant in the forest was a danger to the students. Hagrid had eventually found a clan of giants that would accept him, and Grawp had left.

They still needed a new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor for the upcoming term. As things stood the only instruction the students would get would be from Harry Potter's secret club from last term, granted that it continued this term. She would not be surprised if Potter was in no shape to continue teaching his fellow students. Now that the Ministry acknowledged Voldemort's return and reinstated all of Albus's titles they were not about to interfere in the running of Hogwarts again. The Minister had also received countless howlers from parents concerning Dolores Umbridge. The thought of that woman getting what she deserved brought a small smile to Minerva's lips.

All those ridiculous Educational Decrees had been revoked and the students who had been part of the Inquisitorial Squad had had their prefect status revoked or, in the cases of those who weren't prefects, had a significant number of points deducted for next term. Slytherin would start with a negative number of points in the fall. All of those students were on probation of sorts and faced expulsion if they stepped one foot out of line. They were also on a Ministry watch list and, according to Severus, Voldemort was extremely displeased with the amount of attention they had attracted.

Anne Vector, who had been in the same year as Severus but in Gryffindor, was trying to draw the glaring Potions Master into conversation. The Arithmancy Professor would never give up. She was convinced that somewhere inside the Potions Professor was a human being. Minerva had seen evidence that there was, but was not about to share it with Anne. Watching her efforts to draw out the stubbornly private man was too amusing. Severus would never react to Anne's tactics. The only thing that brought him to life was strong wit and Albus and Minerva were the only ones at the school that succeeded. Oddly enough, Sirius Black had once been counted in that group as well. Had life progressed differently the two would have been great friends.

Just as Minerva was contemplating heading up to her office to work on her lesson plans for the next year she saw the morning's owl post arriving. Several owls with the _Daily Prophet_ tied to their legs flew in. Each professor at the table received a copy. There were a few other owls with personal correspondence, including Harry Potter's snowy owl. She was probably carrying her update for Albus. Harry had sent his first owl right after he arrived at the Dursleys and sent her every third day. Sometimes she went to Grimmauld Place and one of the Order members there, or to Mad-Eye Moody's house. Amusingly, the paranoid ex-auror had grown fond of the owl and lavished owl treats on her whenever he saw her. When the owl landed in front of Severus, Minerva looked at the Potions Master with undisguised surprise.

All conversation at the table had stopped as the bird hooted and ruffled her feathers importantly before sticking out her leg for Severus to untie the attached parchment. After he did she dipped her beak into his pumpkin juice for a quick drink and flew off to the owlery to rest before bringing a reply back to Harry. Severus did not even react to the bird using his goblet, the only sign of his obvious surprise.

Minerva noticed as he unfolded the parchment that it had no address, a wise move on Harry's part. As he read the letter Severus's eyes widened for no more than a heartbeat. If Minerva had not been looking for such a reaction she would have missed it. Severus stood and held her gaze for a moment, his eyes darting towards the headmaster's office and back. He gave Albus no sign, as the headmaster would know the instant Severus entered his office. The Potion Master's robes billowed behind him as he left the great hall, a scowl on his face. He looked as though he would like to grind the sender of the letter into a fine paste and use him in a potion, but his momentary slip earlier told Minerva otherwise.

Even though she left before Albus, Minerva was the last of the three to enter his office. She could not wait to get rid of that blasted cane. She did not even have the freedom of her tabby cat form as the animagus transformation was rather painful with her injury. She sat down in a chair next to Severus as Albus read the letter, his blue eyes twinkling. He passed the letter to Minerva and she saw that it was only a few lines, with no signature.

"He has learned discretion at least," she remarked. "No indication of who the letter is meant for, no specifics in the letter, and no signature. His writing is distinctive though, so anyone who had seen it before could identify the writer."

"What do you make of this Severus?" Albus asked.

Severus snorted, "No doubt the brat wants to continue Occlumency, though I don't know why he wrote me about it. I would expect him to run to you first."

"That is most likely why he wrote to you Severus," Minerva responded with a smile. Harry Potter gave her so much material to use with the Potions Master. "He has swallowed his pride. Can you do the same?"

The challenge caused Severus to grind his teeth. He most certainly had no desire to spend any more time teaching Harry Potter, but his ego would not let a Potter best him at anything.

"Swallowed his pride? I would say he is showing his usual arrogance. He assumes that we will do whatever he wants," Severus ranted; clearly his anger was beginning to boil up. Minerva gave him a hard look. Seventeen years was a ridiculous amount of time to hold a grudge.

"Now Severus," Albus began with a slight warning in his tone, "if Harry assumed that he would not be with the Dursleys now. If there is anything the boy is not, it is arrogant. That is only a mask he wears for the general public and your House. Certainly you know all about carefully constructed masks."

Minerva smiled. The outcome of this meeting was obvious, no matter how hard Severus fought it.

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

Harry stood at the kitchen sink washing the breakfast dishes. The washing was much easier with Dudley's diet. There was no cheese in the house, no sticky desserts, and no creamy sauces. With fruits and vegetables making up the majority of the meals Harry had plenty of time for his other chores. He held no illusions about the threats from the Order getting him out of the manual labor the Dursleys demanded of him each summer. The only thing it stopped was the constant verbal abuse and the threats. His aunt and uncle had stopped hitting him years ago, though Uncle Vernon did still lose control occasionally. If Harry stayed out of the way he could avoid it. Dudley was too afraid, especially after their encounter with the dementors.

He finished up the last of the dishes and went upstairs to change into scruffier clothes. His aunt had decided that the garden needed weeding and he wanted to get it out of the way before it got too hot outside. He threw on a pair of Dudley's old shorts and a t-shirt that was at least five sizes too big for him. The rope he used as a belt was fraying. He tucked his wand into his belt and went out to the garden.

An hour later his sleeves were rolled up and his hands were filthy. He had donned a pair of his Aunt Petunia's old gardening gloves when he noticed a cluster of stinging nettles amongst the irises. His aunt must have left them for him, not willing to risk her own hands swelling to twice their normal size. When the nettles were thrown in the wheelbarrow with the other weeds Harry ripped off the gloves and wiped his forehead with the hem of his shirt. The day was promising to be unusually hot. He snorted; that was probably the reason Aunt Petunia saved the weeding for today.

A loud 'crack' echoed in the late morning air and Harry whipped his wand out, searching for signs of another wizard. He had no doubt that someone had either just apparated or disapparated nearby. It could be whoever was probably guarding him at that moment... or some threat. Seeing no sign of any other person did not relieve him now that he had read of all the spells and potions for invisibility.

After a few moments he relaxed slightly and tried to quiet his breathing so he could listen for any signs of another person. He could hear no other breathing, no rustling of robes or other sounds of movement. In addition there was no way a Death Eater could know where he was. He tried to calm down, telling himself that he could trust Dumbledore, but after his fourth and fifth years at Hogwarts he no longer saw the headmaster as infallible. Slowly, Harry backed towards the door to his aunt and uncle's house.

Once inside he shut and locked the door. A locked door wouldn't stop a wizard, but he would hear them unlocking it. There was a knock at the door and Harry looked out the peephole. The sight of his Potions Master standing on the front step, clad in his billowing black robes of course, was not a pleasant one. Feeling more like Mad-Eye Moody every day Harry considered what question he could ask to make sure it was Snape without pissing him off at the same time. He began firing questions.

"Who is Moony?"

"Remus Lupin"

"Who was disguised as Mad-Eye Moody?"

"Barty Crouch."

"What did he say belonged to him when you found my golden egg on the stairs before the second task?"

"That insolent old piece of parchment you carry around. Now open the damn door Potter!"

Harry braced himself for what was sure to be a trying day. It was definitely Snape at his door.

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

Please Review!

ooOoo


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Kudos to anyone who catches the Simpsons reference.

**Changes**

**Part Two**

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

Harry opened the door and made sure his expression was sufficiently humble. Luckily, the scowl on Professor Snape's face made any potential mirth disappear.

"Come in sir. Would you like some tea?"

"No, thank you. The headmaster insisted that I come here to arrange lessons. Perhaps you could show me to your room?" Snape suggested with a sneer.

Based on the sound of the approaching footsteps Harry's Aunt Petunia was coming to see who had been at the door. She stopped at the base of the steps and took in the robes the tall dark haired man was wearing. Harry hesitated, knowing that whatever he did, someone would find fault with it whether it was Snape or his aunt. He eventually realized he had to deal with Snape for much more time than with his aunt.

"Aunt Petunia this is Professor Snape from Ho, um, my school," Harry saw Snape raise an eyebrow at his reluctance to say Hogwarts. "Professor Snape this is my aunt, Petunia Dursley."

Snape bowed ever so slightly and Harry wondered what the man's current opinions were about muggles. After all, Snape was a Death Eater at one time. Aunt Petunia remained frozen at the bottom of the stairs. When neither adult said anything for several minutes Harry decided he had to do something.

"The Professor needs to speak with me. I'll, er, just bring him to my room," Harry turned to Snape. "It's this way, sir."

Harry led the way up the stairs. As he approached his aunt she darted into the kitchen. On his way up the stairs Harry could hear the sounds of a video game coming out of his cousin's room. It stopped and Harry quickened his pace to get to his room before Dudley came into the hall. He had just gotten to his door when Dudley walked out of his. Harry stopped and tensed. He made eye contact with Dudley, who had not seen Snape yet.

Dudley laughed, "Has Mum seen you yet? Aren't you supposed to be out in the garden? If she sees how much dirt you've brought in she'll... eep!" Dudley caught sight of their guest and darted back into his room.

Harry jumped as Snape's hand fell on his shoulder. He had forgotten the Potions Master was behind him.

"It's just in here sir," Harry said. "I'll, um, wash my hands and be right back."

When Harry returned to his room he saw that Snape had conjured two comfortable looking leather armchairs. He sat down across from Snape and looked at him nervously.

"Before you say anything," Harry said quickly, "I just wanted to apologize for last year. I had no right to invade your privacy like I did and I'm sorry."

"Very well, I accept your apology," It looked as though it pained him to say as much. "Here are the ground rules, Potter. You will do as I say without complaint. You will practice every day. There will be no outbursts and no arguments. As you are still underage you will give me your wand before we begin so you are not tempted to use it," Snape ordered.

"Okay, but with a few conditions," Harry said as he tried to sound confident and took his wand out to pass over to Snape. Snape merely raised an eyebrow as he accepted the wand. "Please call me Harry here. You saw my father as Potter and I am not him. If I ask a question please answer it without belittling or insulting me. I understand that I need these lessons, but it is much more difficult when I am angry. Once I get the basics down perhaps I'll be able to add emotion to it."

Snape said nothing in response. Harry waited for an explosion, but the Potions Master's face was completely unreadable. The man spoke after they observed each other briefly. "I think we can both live with that Po-Harry. We will start now. Clear you mind."

Snape raised his wand, but Harry held up a hand before he could cast the spell. "How, sir? All last year you told me to clear my mind, and I can't. Every time I try it seems like there are more and more thoughts in there."

Harry made sure he looked Snape in the eye the whole time he spoke. The professor looked like he was about berate Harry for having a weak mind, or something similar, but stopped himself. He looked to be deep in thought for some time.

"Relax and close your eyes Po-Harry," Snape said, his tone a bit nicer than usual. "Rather than emptying your mind of all thoughts try to focus it."

Harry took a deep breathe and obeyed. It was difficult to relax in the same room as Snape. He tried to concentrate on anything except the professor sitting in his room. He began repeating the spells he had been teaching himself at night over and over in his head. He distantly heard Snape say something but did not register what it was. He felt a gentle pressure on his mind, but kept going over the spells. He felt his wand hand making the corresponding movements. The pressure in his mind was building, but Harry fought to keep his concentration on the defensive spells. He started to review the ones he learned in school as well, starting with his first year. When the pressure started to hurt, he had reached second year spells by then, Harry's eyes snapped open.

His hand was pointed at Snape as he cried out, "_Expelliarmus!_"

Snape's wand flew out of his hand and into Harry's as Snape's chair skidded backwards until it hit the wall. Harry stared at the wand in his hand with his mouth open in surprise. He looked from the Potions Master to the wand, back and forth, and suddenly realized that he had yet again performed magic while out of school. He dropped the wand as though it burned him and began stammering.

"Oh shi-,er, um, I'm sorry, I don't know, how did I...," Harry was stunned and seemed to have trouble breathing.

Snape stood and walked over to pick up his wand. He gave it a flick and his chair returned to its previous position, "Calm down. The Ministry will not register any magic as specifically yours unless your wand is used, and it is known that other wizards are on the property, so you are not facing expulsion. That was much better. What were you thinking about?"

"I've been reading some defense books that Siri... that I got for Christmas. I was just going over spells," Harry explained.

"See if you can get used to the state your mind is in when you do that, and try duplicating that without the focus on the spells. _Legilimens!_" Snape yelled with his wand pointed at Harry again.

Having been through several tortuous sessions over the course of the school year, Harry knew that Snape would try to catch him off guard. This time he was ready. As Snape pushed harder Harry tried to relax rather than resist and concentrated on the spells. He broke the connection that time by erecting a shield without his wand. He looked up to see an expression of surprise on Snape's face and waved his hand to take down the shield.

Harry looked down at his hands, "How did I do that?"

"Not many wizards can," Snape said bitterly. "Albus can summon things and do some conjuring and healing, but not much. It is extremely taxing on your magical reserves and will tire you quickly. It is practical for getting your wand back if disarmed in a duel, or quickly stunning your opponent if you do not have to face another," a slight smirk formed on his face, "not to mention practicing magic so the Ministry cannot detect it."

Harry looked at Snape in astonishment before closing his eyes and muttering, "Again."

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

Minerva waited as calmly as possible in Albus's office. Severus had been gone for several hours. In the aftermath of Sirius Black's death, the sullen Potions Master was probably the last person that should be sent to Harry. The letter that Harry had sent, though, left no room for argument.

When Severus finally entered the office it was nearly time for the evening meal. The man calmly sat down in his usual chair and took a biscuit from the plate that Albus offered, mentioning that he hadn't eaten lunch. He ate in the fastidious way he had, not getting any crumbs on his deep black robes. Minerva fumed silently as Severus held back the information concerning Harry, made worse by the knowledge that Severus was enjoying tormenting her.

After the second biscuit she exploded, "Well how is he?"

"Better than you might expect. He has improved significantly at Occlumency, is studying defensive magic on his own, acts in the place of a house-elf for his relatives, and is performing wandless magic beyond what Albus is capable of," Severus said as he picked up another biscuit.

Minerva tried to process all of that at once, along with the new development that Severus was not complaining about Harry and trying to get him expelled. She looked over to Albus and saw his eyes twinkling in delight. Minerva had seen this office before Albus had managed to put it back in order after Harry's tantrum. The headmaster was lucky that Harry wasn't still furious with him.

"How quickly can we get him out of there this year Albus?" Minerva asked.

"Harry must stay at Privet Drive long enough to charge his wards. He can leave in late July at the earliest."

"You should visit him Albus," Minerva ventured confidently.

Severus raised an eyebrow in her direction. The two of them were the only staff members that dared to give Albus unsolicited advice. It was not a risk of anger or dismissal from the headmaster. The danger was getting sucked into a lengthy discourse on the motivation behind the proffered advice, or some odd tangent to the advice that only made sense in the headmaster's mind.

"Is there any particular reason why?"

Minerva looked Albus straight in the eye. She wore the expression she used with students who were trying to worm their way out of trouble. She found that she wore it nearly every time she talked to one of the Weasley twins in their six plus years at Hogwarts and even during Order meetings with them.

"He left for the summer angry with you. It is a miracle that he will speak with any of us after the way he was treated this past year. I do not expect him ever to forgive me for leaving him to fend for himself against Fudge and Umbridge, not to mention Severus and all of Slytherin House," the Potions Master had the good grace to flinch. She and Severus had a long and painful conversation earlier that summer concerning his actions during the previous school year and their motivations. She had lectured him as only she or Albus could do effectively. "If you leave any residual anger to fester over the summer with no contact from you he will never trust you again," Minerva said sternly.

She did not drop her gaze. Few members of the magical or muggle communities could hold their own with Albus Dumbledore in a staring contest. Two of the only ones who could were in the headmaster's office at that time. In time Minerva had a feeling that Harry would beat the headmaster at that game.

Albus broke eye contact first and turned to Severus, "Is he far enough along in Occlumency that I could visit?"

"Yes Albus," Severus admitted reluctantly. "He can protect his mind when he is trying, but it is not as automatic as breathing yet. There is no permanent shield as of yet."

"Do either of you have a suggestion for a Defense professor?" Albus asked, changing the subject abruptly. "We have not had the best track record of late."

Minerva smiled. That was quite an understatement. "Why not your nephew?" she suggested. "He has taught before, and admirably."

"I am afraid I must agree with Minerva," Severus said, "loathe though I am to recommend that yet another Gryffindor teach here. I am surprised he has not joined the Order."

Albus sighed, "I can discuss it with him, though I do not think he will agree. Brian is only three, and Harry will not want to leave him, nor can Remus and the children join him here."

Severus snorted, "We might as well have them both teaching again in that case, though I don't think even you could get Lupin back here."

Minerva narrowed her eyes at the Potions professor. After all, he was mostly at fault for Remus not being able to come back. If he been less petty the whole school would not have found out the man was a werewolf.

"Harry is the one who convinced Remus to join us three years ago," Minerva pointed out. "Simply use the same logic on him. The school and the children need him, and he can visit Remus and his children on the holidays. I have also been wondering why Harry is not in the Order."

"You would have to discuss that with Harry, Minerva," Albus said. "You will have to owl him or wait for him to visit you, though. Security has been increased at the manor and only family can get through the wards. There are indications that Voldemort has connected us."

Minerva looked at Severus in confusion, who she could tell was equally confused. That was the first she had heard of this.

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

Harry Potter was on a ladder cleaning out the gutters. They were full of leaves from the previous fall and the Dursleys had, of course, waited until Harry was there to decide they needed cleaning. He scooped out the decaying plant matter and dropped it into the bucket hanging off the ladder. Over all it was not that bad a job. He had performed much more disgusting tasks in detention with Professor Snape. It was Saturday afternoon and the Dursleys were once again admiring a new company car that Uncle Vernon brought home. They stood in the driveway and discussed it in exaggerated tones. Any neighbor that was unlucky enough to pass by was dragged into the conversation.

"Ah yes, I had an automobile once." Harry nearly fell of his ladder when he recognized the voice. "It was a Bugatti Sexerosa, a beautiful machine. Of course, I had to disenchant it and sell it when the regulations concerning muggle artifacts went into effect. I was very disappointed, but we cannot have everything, can we now? Lemon drop?"

A progression of emotions cascaded through Harry's mind, almost too fast for him to identify them. Just the sound of the headmaster's voice made Harry feel longing, bitter, resentful, and painful regret. Harry concentrated on shielding his mind and denied himself the emotions. It was too much to deal with just then.

Instead, Harry listened for any more sounds from the driveway. He closed his eyes and suppressed his laughter, imagining the look on Uncle Vernon's face. There was no answer from the Dursleys. A door slammed, and Harry suspected that Dudley had run inside to avoid the wizard. Even he wouldn't accept any more sweets from a wizard.

"How rude of me," the voice continued and Harry could hear the twinkling of the headmaster's eyes in his voice. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Professor Albus Dumbledore," there was a squeak from Aunt Petunia and Harry remembered the howler, "Headmaster at Harry's school."

There was no response.

"Might I inquire as to Harry's whereabouts?" Dumbledore asked.

"B-b-backyard," Uncle Vernon sputtered.

Much as he was amused by the discomfort the headmaster caused the Dursleys, Harry was not happy to see the man. He could not forget that Dumbledore had refused to look at him all year, had essentially imprisoned Sirius in a place he hated, had failed to protect Harry from Umbridge.

And yet a part of Harry held onto the conversation in Dumbledore's office, where the headmaster admitted he loved Harry. Though Harry knew deep inside that Sirius had loved him, and his parents had loved him, Dumbledore was the first to ever say it, even as indirectly as he did. Despite all his conflicting emotions Harry clung to that moment.

Harry climbed down the ladder and met Dumbledore as he came around the house, "Ah, Harry. Shall we go for a walk?"

"I'll just wash up, sir," Harry said coolly. As he turned to go inside he heard Dumbledore cast a spell. Harry looked down and saw that not only was he clean as though he had just showered, but any stains, rips, or holes were gone from his clothing. They also now fit him.

"No need," he said with a twinkle in his eye. "We may be awhile, and I wouldn't want to upset your relatives."

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

Please Review!

ooOoo


	3. Chapter 3

**Changes**

**Part Three**

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

With a flick of his wand the gutters were cleaned, along with the windows and siding. Harry looked at the headmaster and fought back a smile of relief when the headmaster met his eye. He would not forgive that easily. Dumbledore had hurt him. Harry kept his face impassive. Dumbledore held out his tin of candies and Harry accepted one without comment. The lemon confection gave the same feeling of warmth and safety as it dissolved on his tongue that Harry felt in Dumbledore's presence.

"I see that as usual, Severus did not exaggerate your progress," Dumbledore said, still twinkling. "Come."

Dumbledore started to walk towards the park that Harry had used to escape from the Dursleys. After the attack by the dementors the previous summer Harry had been hesitant to leave the property. If he could leave with anyone, though, Dumbledore was safe.

"So who's on duty now?" Harry said gruffly, staring at his trainers while they walked and kicking at stones. His hands were shoved into his pockets, his right hand gripping his wand just in case.

"I believe Alastor is following us," Dumbledore answered.

Harry heard a snort behind them, "Yeah, that's Moody." There was a short guffaw. Test one passed, Dumbledore didn't lie about the Order watching Harry.

"I do not expect you to forgive me any time soon, Harry," Dumbledore said bluntly. "You have had to experience things that wizards three times your age would have difficulty with, and I have not lightened your task. If anything I made it worse this past year. Minerva also sends her regards, and her apologies."

"There was nothing she, or you, could do, sir," Harry grudgingly admitted. He sighed, "Even if I don't like it I think I understand, sir. You thought you were doing what was best for me."

"I hate to ask you Harry, but I have had several complaints from parents concerning the manner in which Professor Umbridge conducted detentions," Dumbledore said.

Harry stopped walking and stiffened. His eyes narrowed, "I'd rather not discuss that, sir."

"I will ask again Harry another time, but you may disclose what you will in your own time."

Harry was relieved that Dumbledore did not push, another test passed. He relaxed and caught up his headmaster. They walked in silence for the next few minutes. Harry was beginning to wonder exactly what the purpose for the visit was. If it was just Umbridge, the headmaster could have had Snape ask him.

"Sir?" Harry started.

"Yes Harry?"

"May I ask why you are here?" Harry heard a chuckle from Moody. "You could have sent anyone to ask me about Umbridge."

"I am here mostly to apologize Harry," Dumbledore said. "I also have a choice to present you with."

"Yes, sir?"

"As you know you must stay at Privet Drive for a portion of each summer for your safety and that of your relatives," Dumbledore said. "You may leave this house in late July and have two choices as to where you will stay."

Harry was suddenly hopeful. Perhaps he could go back to the Burrow for the end of the summer. The look on Dumbledore's face told him he would be disappointed.

"I am sorry to say that the Weasleys' house is not one of those options. Now that the Ministry has acknowledged Voldemort's return it is safer, but not safe enough. You may choose between headquarters, Hogwarts, or remaining here. Mrs. Weasley has promised that they will join you at headquarters should you return there, though Hogwarts cannot house the family for the summer. I cannot ask the staff that remains over the summer to give up their vacations."

Harry thought about his choices. The idea of returning to Grimmauld Place made him feel physically ill. He could not bear being that close to so many memories of Sirius. That left Hogwarts, without his friends, or Privet Drive, without his friends and without professors. He didn't really mind being without his friends. He was sure they would only start hounding him and mothering him and he did not want that.

"Is there a new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor yet, sir?" Harry asked warily. This got another guffaw of laughter from Moody.

"I have not hired anyone yet Harry," Dumbledore said, "but the Ministry will not have anything to say about my choice this year. Every Educational Decree from this past year has been revoked."

Harry let a small smile escape, "In that case I will go to Hogwarts, sir. Will I be able to practice magic there? I will be at school."

"I do not think there will be a problem with that Harry," Dumbledore chuckled. "We may be able to arrange for some private lessons if you would like."

"I would like that, sir. I need to get ready," Harry said solemnly.

Harry felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up. Dumbledore was looking at him sadly.

"I will do everything in my power to help you prepare Harry, and to delay that day," Dumbledore said.

"I know, sir," Harry admitted.

"I must be getting back. I need to find a new professor. Six in six years," Dumbledore muttered and shook his head before disapparating.

Harry stood still for a few minutes, "Professor Moody?"

"I was never your professor Potter. Call me Alastor," the gruff voice answered.

"Only if you call me Harry," Harry insisted. "Can your eye see through charms?"

"It can detect them, but not see through them, with the exception of invisibility charms. Those I can see through. You're concerned about your hand?" Alastor asked.

Harry nodded reluctantly, "Professor Dumbledore can see through invisibility cloaks, at least I think he can. Could he see the charm, too?"

"I don't know. He may not see through cloaks. I think he can feel the magical presence of whoever is under one and can identify them if he knows them. He's also a bloody good actor," Alastor snorted.

"You're telling me. Thanks, uh, Alastor," Harry said and turned towards Privet Drive.

"No problem Harry," Alastor answered as he followed.

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

"Any news Severus?" Albus asked.

Minerva looked intently at the Potions Master. His expressions gave nothing away as usual.

"I have not been called since we last met," Severus said. "The Dark Lord is most displeased at the outcome of Potter's last adventure. While he has made no move to free those Death Eaters that were captured at the Ministry, it cannot be long in coming. Lucius Malfoy is one of his strongest supporters. To lose him, McNair, and the Lestrange brothers was a huge blow. I assume he is trying to recruit, but he has not asked me to, even placed as I am. His organization is still small."

"We need to move quickly, strike while he is weakest," Kingsley Shackelbolt said.

"Potter is not ready," Alastor Moody insisted.

"Why does Harry have to be ready?" asked Molly Weasley. "He's still a boy. He shouldn't have to fight in this war. It is our job to protect him like any other child his age!"

Minerva listened to the argument progress. She saw the merits of Harry Potter. He was one of her best students when he actually applied himself. When he acted in coordination with his closest friends he was virtually unstoppable. There was potential in the boy that had hardly been tapped. Still, he was a boy, almost sixteen years old. He was not a soldier, though he had already seen more action than some.

Minerva understood Molly Weasley's point of view, and, more importantly, saw that her question was not being answered. Albus had skillfully shifted the focus of the conversation to whether Harry was ready for intense training and away from the question of why.

"Much as I hate to admit it," Severus began, commanding the attention of the entire room, "Potter is most likely more prepared for this war already than half our aurors. He and four other students he trained survived a battle where they were outnumbered three to one by fully-trained, hardened, veteran wizards. Without the Order's interference they might not have survived, but to last as long as they did is remarkable. No matter what we do he will fight. The Dark Lord will bring the fight to Potter, or Potter will rush into it himself."

"I agree with Severus," Remus Lupin spoke up for the first time in that meeting. "When we arrived at the Ministry I was afraid we would find the students captured or worse. We found most of them fighting, and still in possession of the prophecy. I had to hold Harry back when he saw Sirius fall. His focus changed in a split second from trying to get to Sirius to being hell-bent on revenge. I could feel the amount of magic the boy commands. I was more afraid that he would do something to regret than get hurt. He blames himself for Sirius I am sure."

"He is too young," Molly insisted.

"Molly," Remus said gently, "no one is arguing that Harry is not still young. Whether or not he is going to fight he needs to be trained. The amount of magic he has at his command is dangerous, to him and to others. He needs to learn control. I think everyone will agree that he showed very little this past year. Young as he is, Harry is not a child. I don't think he ever has been."

There was murmuring around the table and Minerva looked at Remus with interest. He spoke of his best friend's death without emotion. She knew that he tended to bundle up his feelings and repress them, but he had been more open of late, especially since his children were born. She would have to speak with his husband if he continued in that vein.

"One issue we must decide soon is whether Harry Potter, along with Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, will be admitted into the Order," Albus announced.

The murmuring grew louder. Minerva's attention turned away from Remus and to Albus. _What _was the headmaster _thinking_? They looked at each other for a moment and Minerva's vast experience with reading Albus's expressions told her there was much more than Harry Potter's control of his magic influencing this move.

"Albus, was there any other record of the prophecy?" Minerva asked.

"Yes Minerva," Albus admitted with a small smile. "There are now two people who know the entire wording of the prophecy."

"You and Harry," Remus said quietly.

"Yes, Remus," Albus gave Remus a penetrating stare, but the werewolf did not react.

There was now no conversation around the table. Astonishment could easily be read on nearly every face there. Minerva noticed that Remus was not at all surprised, nor was Severus showing if he was.

"I do not want my son joining," Arthur Weasley said. "He is young, impetuous, and still innocent despite what he has seen." There was a pause. "However, if we admit Harry, we must admit Hermione and Ron. They would learn everything that Harry learns anyway and it is safer that they learn it here, among us. The three of them are inseparable and compliment each other well."

"Arthur," Molly started.

"Molly," Arthur interrupted. "We know Harry better than almost anyone at this table and we certainly know Ron and Hermione best. Last year was horrible for them, all three of them. We are much better off admitting them to the Order than losing their trust forever. If Harry is not kept informed he will pull away even more than he did last year, and we all saw how that ended. It is our fault that Sirius died, not Harry's."

"Dad is right. We lived with Harry last year. He was angry all year," one of the Weasley twins said. Minerva still found it impossible to distinguish between them. "What made him angry was that none of you were helping him. He had to deal with Umbridge, You-Know-Who, Snape, Malfoy, and the rest of the Slytherins without any of you supporting him. He won't ask for help from anyone except Ron and Hermione and even then they have to push him. Ginny told us he actually tried to go to the Ministry alone. If you are going to help you have to be there."

"The DA gave him an outlet, but it also added to his stress. We may not have gotten the best grades," the other twin commented, "but we know Harry Potter. The Dursleys treat him worse that Lucius Malfoy treats his house-elves. We had to pull bars off his window three years ago. They barely feed him. Hogwarts is his home, not Privet Drive. However far Ron and Hermione healed him from what the Dursleys do is probably lost, thanks to Umbridge and you lot. You were so worried about keeping him safe you forgot he's a person. Ron, Hermione, Neville, Luna, and Ginny were hurt because they couldn't trust any of you."

Almost every person at the table flinched. The Weasley twins had joined the Order almost immediately after they had left school. Minerva had been impressed with their potential, though not their commitment, as students. They were now realizing their potential outside of school. One of the first things they had done was set up their store. After it was stocked they had offered a discount to the Order for any supplies, and many of their joke items had very practical applications. There were even a few things they were working on that would not be for sale to the general public.

Minerva had been expecting this for some time. The identical twins were putting in their place a group of adult wizards, some of whom were more than twice or even thrice their age. She had already examined her own actions of the past year, and found them lacking. She fully intended to apologize to the five students who had gone to the Ministry when they were at the school, and only hoped her apology would be accepted.

"I have already discussed some of these matters with Harry," Albus said. "He will be coming to Hogwarts a few days before his birthday," the twins immediately began exchanging glances and small gestures, probably talking in their own twin language. "We will begin extensive training for him then. Severus has already returned to teaching Harry occlumency and he has progressed far enough to join us. We will put it to a vote. Do we admit the three students?"

There was a show of hands around the table. Only a few remained down, Molly Weasley's among them.

"The aye's have it," Albus said. "If there is nothing else?"

One of the twins stood, "Harry needs a birthday party. He has never had one."

"Never?" Nymphadora Tonks looked shocked.

"Tonks, his birthday was never acknowledged, let alone celebrated. His trunk, with his _wand_, was locked in the cupboard under the stairs, which used to be his bedroom, when he got him three years ago. The muggles hate him," the other twin pronounced.

"I think a party can be allowed," Albus said, twinkling. "I trust the two of you can handle the planning?"

The twins' faces lit up with identical mischievous grins, grins Minerva had learned usually meant trouble.

"Excellent," Albus remarked, unfazed by the grins, or perhaps encouraged. "Alastor will handle security. Keep the guest list small and coordinate it with Alastor. You both know Dobby and where the kitchens are?"

The twins nodded in perfect syncopation.

"Good. That is all for today."

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

Please Review!

ooOoo


	4. Chapter 4

**Changes**

**Part Four**

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

"Today you are going to try to block me without repeating spells in your head," said Snape. "Just try to recall the state of mind you are in when you are concentrating on the spells."

Harry nodded and braced himself, concentrating on a singularly focused mind. He felt the pressure of invasion on his mind and stopped himself from recalling his nightmares. The pressure increased and Harry relaxed, trying to let it go through him rather than fighting against it. It was working until the pressure increased again, and his defenses snapped.

_Sirius fell through the veil._

_"SHE KILLED HIM! I'LL KILL HER!"_

_Harry ran up to the atrium._

_"Crucio!"_

_"Never used an unforgivable before, have you boy?"_

_Harry begged Dumbledore to kill him while he was possessed by Voldemort._

The pressure stopped suddenly and Harry collapsed. He was on his hands and knees in his bedroom on Privet Drive, gasping for air. Sweat was dripping onto the floor, splashing onto the wood in small puddles. He wasn't sure where his glasses were. Hands gently picked him up and helped him into one of the conjured chairs, now a semi-permanent feature of the room. Harry's glasses were slid into place.

He looked up and saw Snape studying him. The expression on his face was unfamiliar and disconcerting. Snape pulled his chair closer to Harry's and reached out for Harry's face. Harry flinched but that did not stop Snape. He held it between both hands, forcing Harry to look him in the eye.

"Is that the only time you have tried to use one of the Unforgivable Curses?"

Harry attempted to nod, but Snape's grip was too strong. "Yes," he answered weakly.

"Do you know why it didn't work properly?" Snape asked in a smooth tone.

"She... she said I had to _want_ to cause pain," Harry whispered.

Snape sighed and released Harry. He sat back in his chair and kept Harry in his penetrating stare, "That is true, to a certain extent. The full impact of Cruciatus can only be achieved through a desire to cause pain and suffering. What you managed to do showed a great deal of power for an underage wizard. No doubt Belletrix has reported the effect of your curse to the Dark Lord. If he did not know before, he will know now that you have enormous potential. He will try to eliminate you as a threat before you realize that potential."

If Harry had not been frightened before, he surely was now. Voldemort didn't need any reasons to kill Harry as soon as possible, but Harry just had to keep supplying them. "Why hasn't the Ministry done anything? They sent me a warning when a house elf smashed a pudding in this house, but I used an Unforgivable in the Ministry's atrium and they haven't done anything."

"They may not know, Harry," Snape said thoughtfully. "Have you been practicing your wandless magic?" he changed the subject.

Harry nodded. He waved his hand and a table appeared between them.

"Can you conjure with your wand?" Snape asked, clearly astonished. "That's seventh year Charms."

"No, at least, I don't think so," Harry bit his lower lip while thinking. "It's different than using a wand. At first, I thought about the spell I wanted to perform, but now I don't need that. I don't know the spells for conjuring, but without a wand it's more like willing what you want to happen and the magic listens. I remembered the accidental magic I did before Hogwarts. I banished a glass barrier, turned a teacher's hair blue, and I think I apparated."

Snape's eyebrows raised in surprise, "Describe what happened."

"Dudley and his friends were chasing me at school and I was scared. I tried to jump behind some trashcans, but I ended up on the roof of the school. I had no idea how I got up there and I got in trouble for climbing school buildings," Harry explained.

"That is unusual. Most accidental magic occurs under heightened stress, but takes the form of breaking glass, levitating objects, or an attack on the offending person, like your uncle's sister," Harry felt his cheeks burn, remembering the incident. "For a child to apparate... Harry, do you feel magic?" Snape asked.

"What do you mean?" Harry replied.

"You have seen Albus mad," Harry nodded, "and have surely felt his power at those times. Even a muggle could feel that. Do you feel that kind of magical presence at any other time?" clarified Snape.

Harry thought carefully. He remembered the first time he had seen Professor Dumbledore angry, at the end of his fourth year. Then he thought of how he knew Dumbledore was in the Ministry with him before he saw him. Harry focused on that feeling, the currents of magic flowing around the professor. He could feel them now, but much weaker, coming from Professor Snape. Harry's jaw dropped and his eyes snapped open.

"It's... I can...," Harry stammered, "Wow."

"Hm," Snape did not comment further. "Do you think you can continue today?"

Harry nodded. He concentrated on blanking his mind and noticed that he felt the spell coming. Harry put up a shield and blocked the invasion before it began. He looked at Snape and smiled.

"Very good," Snape said. "I want you to concentrate on keeping your mind focused at all times and being aware of your surroundings. I will be stopping by at unannounced times and attacking without warning. You need to be able to defend yourself at any time. You can block an attack on your mind, but it needs to be shielded at all times. Try visualizing the protection."

Harry nodded, thinking over everything that had happened that day.

Snape paused as he left the room and turned back, "It is not your fault that Black died." He swept out of the room, robes billowing behind him.

Harry went for a short walk that evening. He had a lot to think about. Snape, of all people, was telling him he was powerful enough that Voldemort was frightened. It matched with the prophecy, which scared Harry even more. He had tried to tell himself that Dumbledore was wrong, that the prophecy was not accurate, but it seemed that it was. He sat on the swing in the park that he had been sitting on the night the dementors attacked. He concentrated on the magic he felt from his follower of that evening, trying to identify them.

By the time he got back to Number Four Privet Drive the sun was starting to set. Harry paused on his way inside and mumbled, "Thanks Charlie."

Harry lay on his bed staring at the ceiling. He was still having nightmares, but not of the Voldemort induced variety. His appetite was small luckily, as Dudley was still on his diet and the sessions with Snape tended to run over lunch though Harry doubted his professor noticed.

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

She never thought something like this would happen. When he went to the headmaster about any Gryffindor it was usually to get them expelled, or at least punished harshly. Yet here Severus Snape was, arguing in favor of his least favorite Gryffindor.

"He has to get out of that house, fast," Severus told the headmaster.

Minerva looked at the Potions Master in utter disbelief, "Has he done something, Severus?"

"Yes and no Minerva," Severus answered, but offered nothing further.

"Please explain Severus," Albus commanded, looking at the two heads of house over his half moon spectacles.

"It should not surprise you that his power is growing," Severus began. "As he learns to focus his mind he is finding just how powerful he is, even if he does not see how out of the ordinary it is. Today he conjured a table without a wand, almost on a whim. It did not appear to drain him at all," the Potions Master paused.

"As you said that is not surprising. We all knew that he would be very powerful once he began to direct himself," Minerva said.

"There is something else, Severus," Albus probed. Minerva saw that there was almost no twinkle in the clear blue eyes.

Severus looked the headmaster in the eye, "How much did he tell you of what happened in the Ministry?"

Albus leaned back in his chair, "Harry did not tell me anything. I know what I saw and what others reported. Questioning him would not have gotten us anywhere with the mood he was in that night and the days following."

"So you know nothing of what happened in the atrium before you arrived there?" Severus questioned.

"No. I arrived almost immediately after Voldemort did, and he certainly did not tell me," said Albus.

"What happened Severus?" Minerva asked, suddenly very concerned. Clearly there was something bothering Severus, who had seen death and torture.

"Harry attempted to perform the Cruciatus Curse on Belletrix Lestrange," Severus said calmly.

There was quiet in the office. Even Fawkes seemed to be paying rapt attention to the conversation. The portraits of former headmasters did not even bother to pretend they weren't listening. Minerva was almost too shocked by this revelation to be aware of Severus referring to Harry rather than Potter, almost. As it was, she was feeling dismay that things had come to that point. The twinkle had completely left Albus's eyes.

"You said 'attempted' Severus?" Minerva asked, grasping at straws.

Severus sighed, "Yes, 'attempted.' Despite everything that happened last year he does not yet have enough hatred to successfully perform the curse. Regardless, Belletrix was flung the length of the atrium. She was not captured, so the Dark Lord knows some of the extent of Harry's powers. He also knows that the boy is isolated and in mourning. He blames himself for Black's death. The Dark Lord will strike Harry as soon as he can, to eliminate him before he is properly trained if nothing else. If Harry is at Hogwarts we can train him and have much more success in fighting off an attack."

Albus looked at a muggle calendar on the wall. It was the tenth of July. Harry had been at Privet Drive for four weeks.

Albus responded, "He must stay there at least one more week. For the week we will add at least one more Order member to the guard at all times. Shifts will change at different times. I have to visit the Manor now. Minerva, will you inform Alastor of the security changes?"

"Of course," Minerva replied.

"Severus, Harry will need a room here. I prefer that he does not stay in Gryffindor tower alone. Please have the house elves prepare a guest suite for him," Albus requested.

"Yes, sir," Severus replied.

Minerva tried to clear her head with a walk around the grounds when Albus dismissed them. Harry Potter needed help, help that she was not sure she could provide though it fell to her as his Head of House. If Harry was anything like his father he would make his own feelings and problems secondary to the approaching war. She made a silent vow to Lily and James that when it was all over she would be there to help pick up the pieces and heal their son.

She headed towards Hogsmeade to the shop the Weasley twins had set up there. She could give them her letter for Alastor, as they were most likely hounding him on a regular basis in relation to the birthday party for Harry. Though irresponsible when it had come to homework and school rules, she was sure she could trust them with the letter for Alastor.

Minerva had intended to visit the store soon anyway. She had been meaning for some time now to compliment the twins on their transfiguration skills in the Canary Creams and see what other similar creations they had. If they were lucky she might even have a few suggestions for them.

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

Harry felt Snape's presence long before the professor revealed himself. He kept his face neutral, intending to surprise his instructor rather than be the one surprised. Harry changed tasks from trimming the hedges to mowing the lawn immediately after Snape arrived to give him a marker he could use later.

He had completed four rows when he felt Snape begin to cast a spell. Harry dodged it, rolled, and disarmed Snape silently without his wand. He then reversed the invisibility spell, also wandlessly, and handed the wand back to a scowling Snape.

"The object of the lesson is to see how well your mind is protected, not your magic detection," Snape snapped, no doubt furious that Harry had detected him.

"You've been here for at least half-an-hour. When you Portkeyed in I switched from hedge trimming to mowing. If you want to surprise me cast the spell instantly," Harry countered.

Snape scowled further, "Your concentration has improved."

Harry shrugged, "I overheard a show my aunt was watching. It was talking about meditation. I don't get much sleep so I decided to try it when the Dursleys were sleeping. Combined with the lessons, and the wandless magic practice I've found myself improving dramatically. I'm learning spells faster than I ever did at school."

"You may find all your classes easier once you master occlumency. The ability to concentrate is a highly underrated skill amongst your classmates," Snape managed.

Harry nodded, his response cut off by the arrival of an unfamiliar owl. The owl perched on the lawnmower and looked pointedly at Harry. He looked around, saw that no neighbors were watching, and approached the owl.

"Stop!" Snape commanded. "Do you know that owl?"

"No," Harry admitted.

"Did you learn nothing from your fourth year? Any object, including a letter, can be made into a Portkey," Snape warned. "You should be checking everything you receive, even if it comes from someone you know. Your owl was intercepted last year. It can happen again."

Harry paled as Snape stepped forward. He cast a few spells, which Harry paid close attention to, over the letter before untying it from the owl. The owl gave Snape a disdainful look before hooting and flying away. Snape handed the letter to Harry.

"It has a Ministry seal," Snape said.

Harry's heart dropped, "I - I thought they d-didn't know."

A smirk appeared on Snape's face, "Just open the letter Harry."

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

Please Review!

ooOoo


	5. Chapter 5

**Changes**

**Part Five**

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

Harry nodded, still not bold enough to disobey Snape's commands. He opened the letter slowly, expecting to see a trial date and expulsion notice inside, if not for the Unforgivable then for the wandless magic he had been performing. He didn't believe his eyes when he saw the contents of the letter. It was his O.W.L. results. He had completely forgotten about the tests in the aftermath of the battle at the Ministry.

Harry read it over and his jaw dropped in surprise, "I - I don't believe it!"

"What?" Snape questioned. "How many O.W.L.s did you fail?"

Harry smiled. Not even Snape's snide remarks could get to him anymore. They were rare now, though they occasionally slipped out. He handed his results to Snape silently and watched as the Potions Master showed more emotion on his face than Harry had ever seen, apart from rage that is.

"How on earth did you manage this?" Snape demanded, shaking the parchment.

It was Harry's turn to smirk, "It's amazing how much simpler it is to brew a potion without you glaring at me, breathing down my neck, or ignoring the blatant sabotage by the Slytherins."

"I cannot believe I am stuck with you for another two years," Snape moaned.

"We can make a deal," Harry suggested.

Snape merely raised an eyebrow.

"When I come to Hogwarts this summer I'll spend at least ten hours a week in the Potions lab working on my brewing skills and you won't allow any sabotage in the N.E.W.T. class," Harry proposed.

"I cannot compromise my position. Showing favoritism to the Slytherins is one reason I am still alive," Snape countered.

Harry rolled his eyes and crossed his arms on his chest, "I'm not asking you to give points to Gryffindor or take any away from Slytherin. I can deal with Malfoy's insults -"

"You haven't done very well with them in the past."

"I have better ammunition now," Harry grinned. "Daddy's not around to protect little Draco. Anyway, Belletrix and Riddle are much better at it. Malfoy is not even in their league."

"Very well," Snape agreed, "but I want at least fifteen hours, working on the potions that I assign you."

"Potions limited to what we've already covered?" Harry questioned.

Snape stared at him for a moment, "I will limit them to the skill level of fifth year and below to begin with. If we both agree you can start on more advanced potions."

Harry held out his hand and Snape stared at it.

"Don't wizards shake on agreements?" Harry asked impatiently.

Snape shook Harry's hand, "Generally no. Vocal agreement is taken as binding. Send your class selections to your Head of House so she can create your schedule and the Order can get your books."

"They really need to offer a culture class for muggle raised wizards," Harry complained.

Snape just disapparated and Harry returned to mowing. He would figure out what classes he would take later.

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

The following day found Harry on the roof, replacing tiles. He was grumbling at his uncle's refusal to hire a contractor. Harry had never tiled a roof before and the tile package had only the most basic of instructions. If there was any problem Harry would be blamed when he was there again the next summer.

In an owl to Professor McGonagall the night before he told her he would continue with Transfiguration, Charms, Potions, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Astronomy and Herbology. In addition he was picking up Spell Creation and Combination and Magical Languages.

He was startled when the spell hit him. Harry felt the pressure that told him it was a legilimency attack. Harry concentrated on the tiling, letting the spell go through him. The pressure continued to build, until Harry decided he'd had enough. He imagined the mind shield he had designed for himself. A wall of pure gold surrounded his thoughts, with Sirius prowling in front of it on his flying motorcycle. When he detected that the spell had stopped he lowered his shield.

"Excellent Harry!" a voice called.

Harry turned in surprise and saw Professor Dumbledore. With a wave of the headmaster's wand all the remaining tiles were put into place and the scraps and extra supplies were piled neatly on the front step. Harry shook his head and climbed down.

"I should just invite you over whenever I have particularly nasty chores," he commented when he reached the headmaster.

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled, "Your occlumency is coming along wonderfully. You'll be able to move on to legilimency soon."

Harry's eyes widened, "You want me to learn that, too?"

"It is the next logical step, though the choice is yours alone," Dumbledore answered.

Harry thought for a moment, "I'm not sure..."

"There is no rush. Shall we?"

Harry dusted himself off. Every time Dumbledore stopped by they went for a walk and talked. Harry was amazed the wizarding world stayed hidden. With Dumbledore and Snape walking around the muggle neighborhood in broad daylight wearing robes Harry thought the muggles should have caught on long ago. Maybe the muggles thought they were priests. He snorted at the thought. Snape was about as far from a priest as anyone could get.

"Something amusing?" Dumbledore asked.

"I was just thinking about the muggles around here and what they must think of you and Professor Snape," Harry explained. "I can only assume they think you're priests...or that you're completely nutters."

Dumbledore chuckled, "If you ever mention that to Professor Snape please do so in my presence. His reaction would be very amusing."

Harry smiled, "Yes, one unreadable mask would be exchanged for another, identical, unreadable mask."

"Ah, but between the masks is where Severus's feelings show," Dumbledore said.

Harry pondered that for awhile. He had never seen Snape slip unintentionally, except for the time he caught Harry in his pensieve. That memory reminded Harry of something he had been meaning to ask.

"Sir?" Harry started.

"Please Harry," Dumbledore said, "I think you would agree we do not have a normal headmaster-student relationship. You may call me Albus."

"Okay, um, Albus," Harry said a bit awkwardly, "I was wondering if I could get a pensieve, and how I would go about it? Professor Snape used one before occlumency lessons last year so I think it would be useful."

"They can be helpful in protecting your mind," Albus began, "but they are also very vulnerable. Anyone who has access to your pensieve can see whatever thoughts you store in it."

Harry considered that, "There must be a way I could keep one safe, say a heavily locked case, maybe with some hexes on it as well."

Albus chuckled, "You could enlist the help of the Weasley twins in that department."

"I'd be afraid of whatever extra hexes they decided to test on me with it," Harry joked.

"That would be a good security method," Albus said seriously. "The problem would lie in acquiring the pensieve. They cannot be purchased; they must be made."

"How is it done?" Harry asked.

They reached the park and turned back for Privet Drive.

"A suitable container must be found and appropriately charmed. The difficult part is the potion, which is rather complicated. Some of the ingredients are extremely rare," Albus explained. After a long pause he continued, "I understand you will be putting in some potions practice this summer. I will have the ingredients located for you and when Severus is satisfied with your progress you may make the potion."

Harry grinned, "What about a container?"

"I have several that would be suitable," Albus replied, his eyes twinkling. "Several charms must be cast on the container before the potion is added. Then there is the incantation that links the pensieve to your mind. Each pensieve is particular to the owner and can only be used by that one person."

Harry stopped walking and looked at Albus searchingly.

"Yes Harry?"

"Your eyes are twinkling," Harry said with a small smile and raised eyebrows. "You're up to something."

Harry heard disembodied laughter from behind them. He shook his head.

"Very discreet, Dung," Harry said. "You might want to put a silencing charm on him Kingsley."

Albus raised an eyebrow at Harry, "How long have you been able to do that?"

Harry shrugged, "A couple weeks, now. You're avoiding my question."

Just then one of the Dursleys' muggle neighbors approached, jogging. She paused briefly as she passed Harry and Albus, but kept jogging in place. Harry did his best not to stare at her chest and suspected Dung wasn't restraining himself at all.

"Good afternoon Harry," she turned to Albus after Harry nodded, "Good afternoon Father. I see you are still working to reform the boy."

Albus placed a hand on Harry's shoulder and spoke proudly, in his most impressive voice, "Harry is one of our most promising students."

"I am sure Vernon and Petunia are quite pleased," she replied.

"Yes Ma'am," Harry lied, trying to hold back laughter.

The muggle jogged away and Harry and Albus continued their walk. When Harry was sure she was out of hearing range he started laughing. He heard muffled laughter from both of his followers and louder chuckles from Albus.

"Oh my," he said, holding his sides, "they do think you're priests. I can't wait to use this on Snape."

Albus leaned down and whispered in Harry's ear, "Now whose eyes are twinkling?"

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

Minerva instantly recognized the street she had sat vigil on nearly fifteen years ago. It was one of the only times she had spent the entire day in her animagus form. She was not looking forward to seeing the Dursleys again, but was glad they were finally getting Harry out of that house. Popular with the Ministry again, Albus had been able to requisition a Ministry car for the day. It was a rather fancy black sedan with small flags on the front bearing the Hogwarts crest. The hood ornament was a large cat frozen in a run and Minerva highly approved. She guessed Albus was going for shock value with Lily's sister and brother-in-law.

The car pulled into the driveway of number four Privet Drive and Minerva straightened her robes before stepping out of the back. For some reason Albus had insisted she wear black robes, even though muggle clothes would have been more appropriate. There was an auror driving and another sitting in the front passenger seat. The two Order members guarding Harry would join them for the ride and trip to Hogwarts.

As she walked up to the front door a passing muggle called out to her, "Good morning Sister!"

Minerva set her face in her stern lecturing expression, turned, and nodded. It seemed that Albus had been having fun again. She knocked at the front door and waited. Petunia Dursley answered the door. It was remarkable how very unlike Lily she looked. The woman said no word of greeting, so Minerva stepped inside without invitation. She was as rude as Lily was pleasant too.

"Mrs. Dursley, my name is Professor Minerva McGonagall, Transfiguration Professor and Head of Gryffindor House," she stated firmly. "I taught Lily and James in their school days and am here to pick up Harry."

"I see some of those freaks actually drive cars like normal people," a deep voice full of superiority said from the direction of the stairs. A very large man with very little neck came down the stairs and his face reddened when he saw Minerva. She looked at him sternly and made sure her wand was in view.

"Most of us prefer faster means of travel, but as Harry is underage and this is a muggle house he is restricted to more," she cleared her throat Umbridge fashion, "complicated means of travel."

The man's face approached a most unbecoming shade of purple and he yelled up the stairs, "Boy! Your ride is here. Get down here now!"

Harry Potter came down the stairs slowly, his wand visibly tucked in his belt, his owl perched on his shoulder, and his trunk levitating behind him. Upon seeing this, his aunt and uncle yelped.

"Y-you're not allowed to d-do that!" Mrs. Dursley squeaked. His uncle's face shifted almost instantaneously from purple to a sickly pale green.

Harry glared at his aunt in a good imitation of Severus and Minerva had to hold back a laugh. He spoke clearly, and slowly, "As I am not using my wand, I am not technically breaking any rules. Why would I do that in front of my professor?"

Harry's aunt and uncle both scampered into the kitchen and Harry grinned, looking very pleased with himself.

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

Please Review!

ooOoo


	6. Chapter 6

**Changes**

**Part Six**

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

Minerva raised her eyebrows, "Surely a featherweight charm would have been just as useful Mr. Potter."

The grin did not fade as Harry turned to face Minerva, "It is good to see you too Professor. Yes, it would have just as useful, but not nearly as much fun. I've been dying to do something like that all summer."

"Carry the trunk outside. It would not do for the muggles to see it floating behind you," Minerva said.

"Yes, Ma'am," Harry replied respectfully. "That was just for the benefit of my aunt and uncle. I'm not about to risk another Ministry trial," he shuddered.

The trunk lowered gently to the ground. Minerva was impressed. Harry's control over his wandless magic was exceptional. He lifted it without the lightening charm. She pointed her wand at his trunk but he shook his head.

"Don't bother," he said. "I think we overuse magic a bit. It's amazing half the wizarding world isn't as overweight as Dudley."

Minerva smiled. She had often had similar thoughts, "We have potions and charms to avoid that. Have you seen any grossly overweight wizards?"

Harry shook his head, "How are we getting to Hogwarts?"

"Albus thought you would not be partial to a Portkey," she could see by the look of repugnance on his face that Albus was correct in that assessment, "so we have a Ministry car."

Harry smiled and followed Minerva out the door. She was a bit annoyed that Harry's relatives did not even say good-bye to him, but had expected nothing less from them. Molly Weasley had filled her in on the Ton-Tongue Toffee incident.

The auror who was riding in the front got out and opened the boot for Harry's trunk. He took it from Harry, almost dropped it from the weight, and settled it in.

"No charms?" he asked and Harry shook his head, chuckling. Minerva almost did a double take. She could have sworn his eyes were twinkling the same way Albus's did. "When I open the door ask me a question before you get in."

Harry paused as the man opened the back door, "How long is the trip?"

"Not long," he replied. "It will over before you know it."

"Would Hedwig be better off meeting us there?" Harry questioned and held up the cage with his snowy owl.

"Nah," the Auror said. "She'll be fine in the car."

Harry got in and Minerva followed. The auror waited a few minutes before asking if they were all in, to which a voice next to her replied they were, and shut the door. Two figures appeared from under invisibility cloaks, Alastor Moody and Nymphadora Tonks. Hedwig hooted and hopped onto Alastor's lap. As if by routine she began picking at his robes with her beak. Alastor muttered something and fished some owl treats out of his pocket.

"So you're why she doesn't eat as much as she used to," Harry accused with a small laugh at the site of the hardened Auror gently petting his owl. "Hi Alastor. Hey Tonks."

"Wotcher Harry," Tonks replied. She scrunched up her face and her hair became flaming red. Her skin was pale and splashed liberally with freckles, "I was thinking of changing my name to Weasley. What do you think?"

Harry laughed through the gentle lurch and loud 'BANG' the car made. His laughter instantly stopped and his eyes widened. Tonks switched back to her usual bubble gum pink hair and freckle-free skin.

"It's just like the Knight Bus!" Harry exclaimed.

"Yes, but much smoother," Minerva replied. "The Knight Bus still uses a rather obsolete set of charms and their drivers are not the brightest. The ride need not be so violent as they make it."

"Hogsmeade end of the line," the driver announced.

The Auror in the front got out and opened the door for them. Moody instantly had his wand out and his magical eye searching for any threat. He snapped at Harry when Harry got out of the car.

"Your wand won't do you any good in your belt, Harry! What would you do if you were attacked?"

Harry looked at Minerva with his eyebrows raised and a twinkle in his eye. _Damn_, she thought, _he's starting to pick up Albus's quirks and he's already mastered at least one of Severus's glares_. She smiled at him, "Go ahead, but no wand. We're not in the Hogwarts wards yet."

The Auror took Harry's trunk out and started to pass it to Harry.

"You can go to the owlery girl," Harry told Hedwig and stroked her feathers with two fingers before turning to the Auror. He pointed a finger at his trunk, "_Locomotor Trunk! _I'd stun them or disarm them Alastor."

The auror let go of the trunk as it floated over to Harry. He began to walk towards the castle quickly followed by Alastor, whose magical eye was moving very fast in its socket, and Tonks, who was giggling at Alastor. Minerva thanked the impressed Aurors who had driven the Ministry car, reminded them to remain silent in regards to Harry's talents if they didn't want to anger Albus, and followed the procession.

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

"Concentrate!" Snape yelled. "Potion making is a precise science with no room for forgiveness!"

Harry whirled around to face his professor and yelled in response, "How can I concentrate with you yelling at me and breathing down my neck? This is why half your students are constantly messing up their potions!" He slammed his roots down on the table.

It was Harry's third session in the potions classroom. All progress he and Snape had made in relating to one another had been lost the instant they entered the room. Snape's greasy git persona had come back, and Harry had snapped back at every barb. Any further occlumency lessons had been suspended, as neither of them wanted to risk what might come about.

Outside of his work with Professor Snape things were just as Harry would like. He ate with the staff in the great hall or in the kitchens with the elves. Albus had returned his broom as soon as he arrived and Harry flew every day. Harry's books for the upcoming year had been purchased for him, along with any other supplies he might need. Albus had agreed to let him go into Hogsmeade later for new robes and some other clothing but he would be heavily guarded. He had the run of the castle and the grounds.

None of his other extra lessons had started yet, but they would in the next few days. The Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, whose identity remained a mystery, was not due to arrive for at least a few weeks. Albus and McGonagall had said he deserved some time to settle in before they started working him.

Harry's muscles were all tensed and he gritted his teeth as he tossed the last ingredient into his cauldron haphazardly. He braced himself for the potential explosion, which never came. He peeked into his cauldron, to find that his potion had come out the correct color. Relieved he began to ladle some into a flask, to find that his consistency was off. The Serenity Draught was supposed to be a medium purple and soupy. His was a medium purple but it was thick, more like pudding than soup.

Snape came and stood over him, "Your flames were too high, and your timing off."

"That would have been useful information an hour ago," Harry grumbled.

"I will not be watching over you every time you brew a potion to give you hints and correct mistakes. Clean up and get out of here," Snape snapped at him.

Grateful to get out of the dungeons Harry cleaned up with a wave of his hand and practically ran to his room. He changed into his quidditch robes, grabbed his Firebolt, and headed outside. It was lunch time, but Harry rarely showed up at the great hall for lunch. He rarely ate lunch at all. He wouldn't be missed.

When he kicked off his muscles instantly began to relax. He had no idea how he had survived the last term without this release. The thought that he almost didn't survive was pushed away. He soared around the pitch, practiced dives, looped, rolled, and performed aerial acrobatics that would make a hummingbird ill. Harry felt at home in the air. He flew until numbness started to creep into his limbs. Knowing he could fall easily if he continued Harry decided on one more dive. As he approached the ground he saw Professor McGonagall waiting for him. He pulled up so his toes skimmed the grass and came to a stop beside her.

"Definitely a flying animal, probably one with far eyesight. I'd say a large bird," she commented absently.

"Um, Professor?" Harry asked as he dismounted, wondering what she was talking about.

"I was just thinking aloud," McGonagall replied. "Are you ready to start on some advanced Transfiguration?"

"Can I get a shower first?" Harry asked. "I was brewing this morning and I've been flying for a few hours."

"Of course," McGonagall agreed. "Come to my classroom when you're ready."

Harry took a quick shower. He was glad to finally be working on magic he enjoyed. Transfiguration was not his favorite subject, but it beat Potions without a second thought. McGonagall was strict and tough, but she was also fair and agreeable. He walked into her classroom to find her sitting in a patch of sun in her animagus form. A soft rumbling sound came from her general direction. She was purring. Harry chuckled when he walked in. It wasn't something he expected from the proper and stern McGonagall.

She stretched and changed back to her human form, "Excellent. We can begin. Have you considered attempting the animagus transformation?"

Harry perked up instantly. That was a branch of Transfiguration he was eager to try, "Yes!"

"I know that it took your father and his friends more than a year to complete, but they were working without assistance and in secret," McGonagall said with obvious disapproval. "You should be able to succeed within a matter of months if you work hard and your concentration is unbroken."

"Got it," Harry said. "What do I need to do first?"

McGonagall smiled at him, one of her rare smiles of pride in a student, "Have a seat and take notes. We will go over the entire process and then I want you to research the steps and the laws regarding animagi. The restricted section is open, as it is the summer holiday and Madame Pince does not stay in the castle year-round."

"The first objective that must be achieved is to identify your form..."

Harry paid close attention and took notes that he suspected would rival Hermione's... if his handwriting were neater. By the time they were done he had over four feet of notes. He had written down nearly every word McGonagall had said. When she smiled again and told him he could go the library to start research he jumped up and headed out the door.

"Harry, did you eat lunch?" she questioned as he exited.

"Wasn't hungry," he called back as he hurried for the library.

Harry laughed at himself. He was rushing to the library. Hermione would be thrilled if she found out and Ron would be horrified. He'd hardly had any contact with his friends all summer. Hedwig had been kept busy reporting in to the Order that he was alive and unharmed by the Dursleys. Harry hadn't wanted to talk about his previous school year and he knew that they would bring it up the instant they had the opportunity.

He pushed that concern away, shoved it back with almost every emotion that had to do with the last year of his life. It would probably surprise Snape to know that Harry was still practicing occlumency, even without the lessons. Directing his focus like that made it much easier to ignore his problems. He wondered if it would make it easier to ignore Snape.

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

Harry was trying to concentrate on brewing the blood replenishing drought. When it came to healing potions he figured he should know them well. With his luck he would be brewing them often once he left the immediate vicinity of Madam Pomfrey. It wasn't just Snape. There was something about Potions that just didn't make sense to Harry. As he chopped his roots he tried to ignore Snape hovering.

He tried using his occlumency practices to help focus on the potion. It helped to certain extent. He was able to keep his mind on the potion, but he had also been working on his awareness of his surroundings and he couldn't help but notice the negative energy that flowed off the Potions Master.

Harry lay down his knife and snapped, "Do you have anything to do besides hover?"

"I have much that needs to be done, but with your level of incompetence I must watch for the inevitable explosions," Snape answered with his customary sneer.

"My potions may not be perfect, but have I melted or exploded a single cauldron this summer?" Harry asked angrily.

"Not yet," Snape allowed.

"Then back off and let me work in peace!" Harry insisted.

"You are forgetting who the teacher is here," Snape's voice lowered to a hiss. "Do not give me orders in my classroom."

"Stop treating me like an imbecile!" Harry answered.

"So long as you act like one that is how I will treat you," Snape said coldly. "Never expect special treatment from me just because you are the precious Boy-Who-Lived. You are arrogant, exactly like your father."

Harry's blood began to boil. All his work at controlling his emotions failed and he started yelling, "You're the one who's like my father! I have never expected special treatment! I don't want it! I don't want to watch everyone I love die because of me! I don't want to be the bloody Boy-Who-Lived!"

At his last outburst there was a whirlwind of magical energy in the room. It whipped at Harry and Snape's robes and knocked stacks of cauldrons to the ground. Tables toppled and vials shattered on the stone floor. Harry fought to reign it in and stumbled when he felt the energy pull back into his body. He abandoned his half completed potion and ran outside, summoning his broom on the way.

Harry flew until his muscles were numb. He skipped lunch yet again and flew until his brain couldn't concentrate on anything but the broom, the wind, the trees, and the ground racing by below him. He pushed himself past endurance and could hardly walk when he landed. Upon reaching the rooms allotted to him for the summer Harry collapsed on the bed and slept through dinner. He did not notice that he missed his lesson with McGonagall until he woke the next morning.

Harry was trying to avoid Snape at all costs. He ate breakfast in the kitchens with the house elves and went straight to the library from there. In the restricted section he found a book written by the founders on the animagus transformation. He saw that the process they gave was different than the one McGonagall had outlined and started jotting down the differences and similarities. Harry grimaced at the thought of encountering his transfiguration professor. She would probably lecture him for missing his lesson.

As he was contemplating ways to avoid a lecture he didn't notice the figure watching him from across the library. He ran his fingers through his hair and returned to his books. From what the founders wrote it seemed like there were many more animagi in the past. He theorized that the Ministry regulations had something to do with the drop in numbers, or maybe there were a whole slew of illegal animagi out there, like his father, Sirius, Wormtail, and Rita Skeeter.

At the thought of Sirius and the large black dog that was his alternate form Harry felt a wave of despair welling up inside him. He thrust it back down, buried it deep inside. He didn't have time to deal with that right then. Harry needed to train, to prepare himself for the final battle between him and Voldermort, good and evil, too alike in Harry's mind for comfort.

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

Please Review!

ooOoo


	7. Chapter 7

**Changes**

**Part Seven**

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

Minerva watched Harry Potter working in the library. She and Albus had watched him from Albus's office window flying the previous afternoon after he didn't show up for his lesson. When both Harry and Severus were not at dinner she saw the obvious explanation for Harry's behavior. She saw the anguished look creep over Harry's face in the library, quickly replaced by a blank mask, and decided it was time to remind Severus of the conversation they had earlier that summer regarding his behavior.

"Severus Snape!" Minerva yelled outside the door to his private rooms.

The door swung open to reveal an irate Potions Master. She did not care about his moodiness, though. Minerva had worked herself into a fury and could easily rival Snape for most frightening professor when she wanted to. She rarely showed it, but amongst the staff she was second only to Albus in magical power.

"What is it Minerva?" Severus asked sharply.

"What on earth were you thinking?" she demanded, forcing her way into his rooms. "First you make peace with the child, and then you're back to snapping his head off at every turn and glaring at him as if he were Voldemort himself! With those muggles he lives with I'm sure he has more than enough issues without you adding to them!"

"I have my own reasons for my actions and I need not share them with you," he replied icily.

"Or maybe you have no valid reason for acting the way you have," she challenged, "and refuse to admit you are acting like a child."

"The boy is inept! I do not know how he managed to get an Outstanding in Potions. Perhaps you helped things out a bit?" Severus suggested.

Minerva took a deep breath, her level of anger rising. She narrowed her eyes and lowered her voice, "Are you insinuating I changed his O.W.L. results or influenced his proctor? I swore to Harry that I would do anything in my power to help him become an Auror, but that does not include illegally altering test results!"

"There must be some explanation. He certainly shows no aptitude in my classroom!"

"Maybe it is the classroom that is the problem. Have you ever treated him like anything other than a pariah while he was in that room?" Minerva asked.

"I treat him like any other student!" Severus insisted.

Minerva snorted, a thing she rarely did, "Yes, of course you do. That is why he, Weasley, and Granger thought you were trying to kill him their first year. The whole school, with the exception of only a few staff members and perhaps those three now, believes you would turn him over to Voldemort at the first chance you have. As much as you favor the Slytherins you do the exact opposite to Harry Potter. You may hate the special treatment Harry receives from many, but you don't see that you are guilty of it as well."

Severus merely seethed. Minerva could almost see the smoke rising from him.

"Would you care to explain to me exactly why Harry missed my lesson with him yesterday as well as lunch, dinner, and breakfast this morning?" Minerva asked.

"Where was he?" Severus asked in reply.

"He was flying until he collapsed yesterday. This morning he ate one piece of toast in the kitchens before burying himself in books in the library. What happened yesterday morning?" Minerva demanded to know once more.

"He lost control," Severus offered as explanation.

Minerva raised her eyebrows.

"We argued and he lost control of his magic. My classroom resembled Albus's office after the mess at the Ministry."

"What did you say to set him off?" Minerva asked more in control of herself.

Severus looked at her with his penetrating glare that worked very well on students and the majority of the wizarding world but was useless with Minerva. She had watched as he developed that glare during his years as a student. She simply glared back.

Severus relented, "I commented on his potions skills, he accused me of being purposefully intimidating, I told him he was like his father, and he told me I was the one who was like his father."

"Why would he say that?" Minerva asked, confused.

"I have no idea," Severus replied.

"Apologize to him," Minerva commanded.

"WHAT!" Severus exploded.

"Apologize and start from the beginning again. Something you said has him depressed and avoiding contact with everyone in the castle. You were getting along fine with him until he got here. Try changing your teaching technique with him. Obviously the one you are using does not work," Minerva said sternly. She could still act like she was Severus's teacher when he acted like a child. "I'll talk to Remus about the comment with his father. He mentioned something about Harry Flooing him and Sirius last year."

"Fine. I'll send the brat an owl," Severus grumbled, thoroughly chastised.

"Did you ever eat lunch with him this summer?" she asked out of curiosity, developing a rather unpleasant theory.

"You know I almost never eat lunch," Severus responded.

"He is a teenage boy," Minerva reminded the Potions Master. "He is short for his age and too skinny as it is. I have not seen him at lunch once since he's arrived here."

On her way back upstairs Minerva cursed when she realized later that she couldn't contact Remus. The heightened security at the Manor meant that the only fireplace that could reach them was the one in Albus's office. She would have to go through the headmaster to get hold of Remus. She spoke the password to his office and climbed the stairs. She was walking without the cane now, and could transform again, though her knee still hurt when she overexerted herself. The hated cane would probably make an appearance the next day.

"What can I do for you Minerva?" Albus asked, holding out his tin of lemon drops.

Minerva held a hand out in polite refusal, "No thank you Albus. I am here about Harry."

"Yes?" Albus sat back in his chair and peered at her.

"He does not eat enough, and something he said to Severus is bothering me. He accused Severus of being like James," Minerva explained, sitting back in her usual chair. "I was hoping we could contact Remus and find out why."

"Ah, I believe I can enlighten you on these matters," Albus popped a lemon drop into his mouth and worked it around for a time before speaking again. "Last year Harry's curiosity got the better of him and he stumbled upon the pensieve Severus was using before their occlumency lessons. He saw an incident in Severus's fifth year where he was bullied by James and Sirius. After all of us telling him how wonderful his father was he suddenly saw another point of view."

"That was when Severus ended the lessons," Minerva said in sudden realization.

"Yes. Severus reacted rather... harshly... when he caught Harry," Albus sighed. "I hoped they were getting past these issues."

"They were, until they got here," Minerva commented. "Severus is going to apologize."

Albus raised his eyebrows and a soft chuckle escaped, "What did you blackmail him with?"

Minerva smiled, "Nothing. He still remembers me as his teacher on occasion and I... persuaded him that an apology was due."

"As far as his appetite is concerned... Molly Weasley contacted me the summer before Harry's fourth year, as did Hagrid," Albus began his explanation. "The Dursleys always fed Harry small portions. When his cousin's school demanded he go on a diet Harry was forced to go on the diet as well. The Weasleys, the Grangers, and Hagrid sent Harry food that he kept hidden in his bedroom. His appetite is always smaller when the school year begins, but it picks up in time. Lily was petite. I imagine Harry inherited his size from her."

Minerva nodded, remembering the pictures of an almost spherical boy in the Dursley house, though the boy himself had been nowhere to be seen. She continued to discuss various school related issues with Albus before returning to her classroom in preparation for Harry's next lesson. She conjured a plate of her favorite biscuits and some glasses of juice. Perhaps the boy would eat if food was there.

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

Harry woke the morning of his sixteenth birthday feeling no different than he had any other morning. McGonagall had been acting a bit strangely around him, always offering him food. He supposed he would have to attend more meals in the great hall or she might get Mrs. Weasley and Madam Pomfrey worrying about him, or even worse start acting like them herself. Those two had a tendency to overcompensate for his mother's absence. It felt good most of the time but could be overwhelming. Harry didn't think he could take having three surrogate mothers.

The shower felt particularly good that morning. Harry was sore from his most recent animagus lesson. They hadn't quite figured out what his animal was yet. There were a few spells used to transfigure a person into their animagus form, but they were not always successful. So far Harry knew his form had feathers and wings. Large wings had sprouted from his back the previous afternoon and his shoulders still hurt.

He took his time in the shower, letting the steaming hot water beat down on his back. The day after he made a mess of the potions classroom he had received an owl from Snape with two short lines. Snape apologized, shocking Harry. He wasn't sure why the Potions Master had done it and they had treated each other with a stiff formality ever since.

Albus had been working with Harry on controlling his magic and his emotions. He would purposefully anger Harry with conjured images of Voldemort, Belletrix Lestrange, and Wormtail. Harry had to fight not to lash out, to keep the swirling magical energy reined in and under control. Once he mastered keeping control of himself he would be able to harness and use the energy whenever he needed it. The lessons took place in an empty classroom, with shields on the windows for protection. There was a pile of glass objects for Harry to lash out at when necessary. They discovered early on that glass was best. Destroying pillows was safe but not at all satisfying.

Harry toweled himself off and pulled on some muggle clothes to wear under his robes. He knew that many wizards wore nothing under their robes, but he felt uncomfortable like that. It still felt odd to have clothing that fit. Tonks had volunteered to take Harry shopping and had been disappointed that they could only go to Hogsmeade. Eventually he had given her a bag of galleons and told her to buy him some muggle clothes in London. She had gone overboard and Harry now had an enormous wardrobe with clothes for almost every occasion. She had even purchased swimming trunks and boxers. He didn't want to know how she knew his size. He had this horrible image in his mind of her morphing into him in the changing rooms at Harrods.

Harry wandered down to the great hall. He expected that his friends' yearly owls would be at breakfast this year, as they couldn't get to his rooms in the castle at night like usual. He was unfazed when he got the usual morning greetings from the staff and no mention of his birthday. After all, he was accustomed to the Dursleys either forgetting or ignoring the day, but he was surprised when no owls came for him.

His potions lesson was stiff and cordial, as they had been since the apology letter. Snape sat at his desk while Harry worked silently. When Harry was finished he bottled his Dreamless Sleep potion and brought it to Snape for inspection. Snape quietly, and with no emotion of any kind, detailed what went wrong and what went right with Harry's brewing. Harry wrote down the notes, thanked him, and left.

Harry forced himself to eat lunch in the great hall. Meals in the summer were informal and the house elves were more than happy to make anything requested. Harry typically had some fruit and fresh bread with cheese for lunch. He could eat a good quantity of fruit without filling up.

"Harry, something has come up and I'll have to cancel our lesson this afternoon," McGonagall mentioned as an aside during lunch.

Harry just nodded and went back to scooping out the flesh of his kiwi. He went outside and found Hagrid working with something on the quidditch pitch. Harry was directed back inside and he figured he might as well look over some of the defense books in the restricted section of the library. He was learning some borderline dark curses when Dobby popped into the library on top of his book.

"Harry Potter sir must come with Dobby," the elf bounced up and down as he spoke.

"Hi Dobby. Where do you want me to go?" Harry asked warily. As much as he liked Dobby he never knew if the elf was doing something that might get Harry killed.

"Headmaster Dumbledore sir wants Harry Potter sir in the great hall. He sent Dobby to get Harry Potter," Dobby bounced even higher than usual in excitement.

Harry was glad to see Dobby was no longer wearing the mountain of hats that Hermione had knitted in a futile attempt to free the Hogwarts elves. Only two of them rested on the elf's head. Harry watched Dobby's anxious bobbing before he closed his book and replaced it on the shelf. When he started to walk out of the library Dobby popped away.

The doors to the great hall were closed, an unusual occurrence in the summer. Harry prepared himself for some sort of surprise lesson and slowly opened one of the doors. There was a loud 'BANG' and a flash of purple light. Harry pulled out his wand and pointed it at the unknown threat before dropping his jaw in amazement.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY HARRY!" over twenty voices shouted.

The great hall was decorated by who Harry could only assume was Fred and George. Banners flew around the room flashing various messages, some of them rather rude, and all of them about Harry. The bang had been a huge amount of Weasley Wildfire Whizbangs. Lightning bolt, snitch, and broomstick shaped fireworks sparkled everywhere. Pictures of Harry from his first year through his fifth were on the walls. Almost every picture Harry was trying to hide behind the frame. What looked like every Order member was there, along with every Weasley, Hermione, and Neville.

Hermione and Ron tackled Harry in a big hug. Harry, still shocked, hugged them back.

"Thanks guys," he murmured, trying to avoid getting a mouthful of Hermione's hair.

"Fred and George planned most of it and got the permission for the party," Hermione stated primly.

Harry grinned at the Weasley twins, "Thanks mates."

Fred shrugged modestly and George smiled, "We wanted to invite the entire DA but Mad-Eye was in charge of security. Order members and their family only. We barely got Hermione on the list. She had to come to the Burrow early."

The twins hugged him each in turn and Fred whispered, "Couldn't let our biggest investor go without a birthday party, could we?"

"Your _only_ investor," Harry replied.

"Oi! I'm wounded I am!" Fred staggered backwards clutching his heart dramatically.

There was a table piled high with every food Harry had ever gotten from the kitchens and the biggest birthday cake he had ever seen. Another table had stacks of brightly wrapped gifts. Fred and George quickly took charge and explained the agenda for the day. They had organized a quidditch game, Weasleys on one side and Order members plus Harry on the other. There was a game of Weasley Roulette planned, which involved the various trick sweets sold by the twins hidden amongst innocuous sweets. They had also scheduled a dueling tournament with a prize from their store for the winner.

Harry had never had more fun in one day in his life. Thanks to the protections that surrounded Hogwarts the Order members were able to relax. Some of them had the ability to act just as childish as the twins. The Order's quidditch team consisted of Harry as seeker, Tonks and Kingsley as beaters, Professor Vector, Professor McGonagall, and someone Harry had never met who was introduced as Reyna Ackerley as chasers, and, much to Harry's surprise, Professor Snape as keeper.

The Weasley's had Charlie as seeker, Ron as keeper, Fred and George as beaters, and Bill, Ginny, and Arthur as chasers. Harry hadn't known that Mr. Weasley played quidditch, but guessed that the obsession and talent most of the family had with the game had to come from somewhere. The game was long and tough. Snape was an intimidating keeper, but the Weasleys could almost read each others' minds. The bludgers flew fast and fiercely as the beaters on both teams worked together very well. At the end it came down to the seekers and Harry won the game for the Order with a spectacular catch.

Weasley Roulette resulted in several people transforming into a variety of animals and turning several different colors. Harry discovered he could sense the magic in the altered sweets and managed to avoid them altogether. Professor McGonagall walked around for two hours with rabbit ears and a powder puff tail sticking out of her robes. When she transformed to her animagus form the ears and tail stayed the same. Harry saw her sitting with the twins and discussing the spells they had used to achieve various effects.

The dueling was tough competition and Harry lasted much longer than he thought he would have. He attributed his success to surprising Tonks with wandless magic when she disarmed him. She was so stunned when he summoned his wand before it reached her hand that disarming her was too easy. Eventually Flitwick won in a duel against Alastor Moody and was thrilled to see his prize included a sample of the instant swamp the twins had released before their dramatic exit from academia.

Harry was overwhelmed by the gifts he received. Several order members had gotten him dark detectors or defense books. Neville gave Harry a pot of magical ever-blooming roses that he had planted himself. Hermione's gift was a refill of supplies for his broomstick servicing kit and some update charms for his Firebolt. Ron had chipped in with his siblings and got Harry a magical trunk similar to the one Alastor had been locked in during Harry's fourth year. From Remus, Harry got a stack of worn journals. Opening the first one he saw 'The Marauders: Prank and Spell Log' printed in Remus's neat lettering.

Tonks and Kingsley gave Harry the Auror training manual with margin notes by the two Aurors, which they disguised as an advanced defense book. The card told Harry that no one who hadn't already been accepted into Auror training was even supposed to see the book. Harry was shocked to see that even Snape had gotten him a gift, a book on the distinctions between dark and light magic. Harry stammered his thanks and placed the book on the stack with all the others. Albus's gift was the most significant of the lot. He had given Harry his parents' wedding rings and his mother's engagement ring on an unbreakable chain which Harry instantly clasped around his neck.

As evening approached Albus took Harry, Ron, and Hermione aside.

"It has been decided to admit the three of you into the Order of the Phoenix," Albus told them. "None of you will be sent out on missions until you are fully trained, but you will be expected to attend all meetings and participate in the decision making process. During meetings, and when working on Order business, you will be treated as adults. You may address all Order members by their given names. Outside of the Order you will address your professors by their appropriate titles. None of your classmates are to be informed of this. Do you accept?"

The three of them nodded silently. Harry was less excited than he thought he would be. Again, the prophecy and everything that was expected of him seemed more tangible and closer. He felt older than he should have, and much more solemn. He looked at Ron and Hermione and saw that they, too, looked aware of the responsibility that came with this privilege.

"The first meeting you will attend is tonight. Each member has a phoenix tattoo in a random location on their body that disappears once it is given. It appears and trills so only you can hear whenever Fawkes alerts the Order members they are needed," Albus explained.

Each of them nodded again and he cast a quick spell. Harry felt a tickle on his hip where he assumed the tattoo was placed. He was slightly disappointed that he wouldn't see it until he was called by Fawkes.

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

Please Review!

ooOoo


	8. Chapter 8

**Changes**

**Part Eight**

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

Minerva sat in the great hall next to Hermione Granger for the Order meeting that evening. She was extremely proud of the muggle born witch. Hermione offered well thought out insight into each issue that had been discussed. She reminded Minerva strongly of Lily Potter. The early education of muggle born witches and wizards seemed to offer something that the pureblood students did not get.

"Our next order of business is Dolores Umbridge," Albus announced. Out of the corner of her eye Minerva noticed a slight flinch on the other side of Hermione where Harry was sitting. "The Ministry is conducting an internal investigation, prompted by the complaints of several parents, into her actions of this past year. Thus far they have found no evidence of punishable offences. If either they or we do not provide proof of some sort she will retain her job as Senior Undersecretary to Minister Fudge and go unpunished."

Hermione had leaned towards Harry and was whispering furiously into his ear. He glared at her and shook his head. She continued whispering and before anyone could comment Ron Weasley spoke up.

"Why can't Professor Snape give proof? She asked him for Veritaserum. It's illegal to use it on students," he asked.

"Professor Snape cannot testify for Albus regardless of whether Umbridge is a Death Eater or not," Harry said thickly in response. "It would endanger his position as a spy to publicly show anything less than disdain for me or Albus."

"She admitted to us that she ordered the dementors to Privet Drive and was about to use Cruciatus on you the night we went to the Ministry!" Ron blurted out.

Conversation broke out around the table. Minerva said nothing as she watched the argument between Hermione and Harry continue. She had a strong suspicion of the subject of the argument. Albus shot sparks out his wand to quiet everyone.

"Kingsley, I want you to investigate the dementor claim," Albus ordered. "Did she actually cast an Unforgivable?"

"No," Ron answered, deflated. "Hermione stopped her."

"Harry James Potter," Hermione stood up while addressing him, "if you do not show them I will!"

"No Hermione!" he insisted firmly.

"Hermione," Molly said gently, "if Harry doesn't want –"

Hermione uncharacteristically cut her off, "No! None of you understand! That woman," she spat the word, "had most of the school afraid for our lives. Harry I know you blame yourself for Sirius's death but if anyone is to blame is that evil woman. She didn't cast the curse and she didn't send either of you to the Ministry, but she left us with no one to turn to when we needed help. She let the Slytherins beat us in her presence and would have tortured us! If it wasn't for her the headmaster would have been here and he could have taken care of everything! If you need to get revenge, get it on her!"

Harry stood to face Hermione, "No! It was my fault, all of it! I couldn't control myself around her."

Minerva was thankful for the lessons Albus had been conducting with Harry. She had no doubt that the room would be full of flying shards of glass otherwise. Hermione looked as if Harry had slapped her. The young witch suddenly reached out and grabbed Harry's right hand. He tried to yank it out of her grasp but she would not let go. She pointed her wand at him and spoke a countercharm for advanced concealing charms.

"This was not your fault!" she yelled as she held the hand so Harry had to look at it.

Harry did not react. He simply continued to glare at her past his hand. She turned his hand so others at the table could see. The work Harry did for his relatives and his hours of flying had left his skin deeply tanned. The scars on the back of his hand still stood out, an angry red against the sun darkened skin, making Minerva's heart leap into her throat. The words 'I must not tell lies' were clearly spelled out in what was unmistakably Harry's handwriting. He finally took back possession of his hand, replaced the concealment charm without his wand, and stalked out of the room, slamming the doors behind him.

Hermione turned to the room of shocked faces, "Do you see what she did, what you allowed her to do? Not only did he have to sit through that for over two weeks, but she got him believing that he deserved it. She took away everything that mattered and none of you did a thing about it." Tears were falling down her face. Ron was trying to get her to sit down but she shook him off. "You have your proof now. I'm going after Harry. _Accio Marauder's Map!_" she yelled out with her wand raised. A piece of old parchment flew into the hall and into her hand. She exited without another word.

There was no sound in the great hall. The howlers from angry parents had told them about the sadistic quill Umbridge used in detentions, but no student apart from Harry had been subject to more than a few days and they had no lasting scars. The quill of course could not be found, so the only proof was on Harry's hand. Minerva had an urge to go to Harry's rooms and apologize for her lack of support.

She couldn't have stopped the detentions, but she could have given him a safe haven for getting out the anger that had landed him there. Instead, she expected him to learn control that he could not possibly have learned without help, especially with Voldemort affecting his emotions all year. Molly Weasley was crying openly. The entire Order knew that she viewed both Harry and Hermione as her own children. She stood and turned to leave the room and find Harry.

"Sit down Mum."

Molly turned to look at her youngest son. He had spoken in a tone that was much more adult than the one he had used just a few minutes before. A staring contest ensued which Molly lost. She returned to her seat slowly with a dazed look on her face.

Ron stood to address the Order. He looked at each one of them sternly, "Don't any of you say a word about this to him. It took us more than half a year to get him to say anything about Cedric. If you try to get him to talk he'll get angry and put up more walls. He won't talk about Umbridge, or Sirius, or any of it until he's ready and this time it's going to take a lot longer. Last year the first thing he did was yell at us. Now he is acting happy, like nothing had happened. You just saw what it took to get him mad at 'Mione."

Ron sat, looking mildly surprised at his own daring, and that he had been listened to. Not a single person at the table spoke up, or held a whispered conversation with their neighbor. Minerva saw that his father and older brothers were looking at the youngest boy in the family with pride. She looked over to Albus and saw how sad he looked.

"What do you recommend we do Ron?" Albus asked.

Ron started, clearly astonished at being asked his opinion, "I - I think Hermione should be here instead of at the Burrow. Harry needs her. Just give him a week or so to accept her apology."

Minerva nodded, "I think that is an acceptable idea. If nothing else Hermione can help Harry with his extra studies."

Every professor, current and former, at the table except Severus smiled fondly. Severus groaned, probably at the thought of another Gryffindor in his labs on a regular basis.

"Has he mentioned anything about the prophecy to either of you?" Albus asked.

"Wasn't it destroyed? Neville told us he dropped it and no one heard what it said. Do you mean... Harry _knows_ what it was? Bloody hell!" Ron exclaimed.

The red-head must have remembered that both his parents and all his professors were in the room because his face quickly began to match his hair. The twins started to snigger at their brother's embarrassment, and the laughter was contagious.

Minerva leaned across the two seats to Ron, "Don't worry about it. I've heard much worse at this table, and usually from the twins."

If anything the blush brightened. The room gradually quieted and Albus turned to Molly and Arthur.

"Our new Defense professor will arrive in the middle of the month. Can you plan your Diagon Alley trip for early in the month and have Hermione here on the fifteenth?" he asked.

"Of course," Arthur replied. "We'll just have to let her parents know where she'll be."

"Do you want to join Harry and Hermione here Ron?" Albus asked.

Ron looked down at his hands and shook his head, "I give Harry too many excuses to escape Hermione. She'll get him talking much more quickly if I'm not there." He looked up and his expression showed resolve, "Anyway, who would actually _want_ to do school work before classes started. Those two are mental, I tell you."

The two in question returned to the room and took their seats. Hermione was looking stubborn and stern, reminding Minerva of a cross between Lily and a younger version of herself, and Harry was still glaring.

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

Harry was at lunch when the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor arrived at Hogwarts. The past week and a half since his birthday and the Order meeting had been strange. He suspected that Ron had said something after he left the meeting because not one person had mentioned Umbridge in his presence since then and she had been a frequent subject of conversation before then.

His lessons had continued in much the same vein as before; though he and Snape were returning to the way they had acted at Privet Drive. It had started with a question about the potion Harry was working on and progressed from there. Insults still flew back and forth occasionally but Harry was learning not to let them affect him.

The two of them were the only ones at the table when the new professor arrived. He entered the great hall as if it were a familiar place and greeted Snape warmly. That alone was surprising. The professor was only a few inches taller than Harry, so he was shorter than the majority of the staff, Flitwick the only one shorter, and most of the older students. He walked with an air of confidence, though. He had thick medium honey blond hair that fell to his shoulder blades, with the sides pulled back and tied behind his head. Sparkling blue eyes reminded Harry of Albus. His lithe build, though, was very similar to Harry's.

The most surprising thing about the professor was the way he teased Snape. Equally surprising was Snape's response. He didn't ignore him, as he did when anyone except Albus or McGonagall said anything not school related to him. He bantered with the new professor, who turned out to be Albus's great-nephew Harry Jameson.

As each staff member arrived at the table they greeted Professor Jameson like a long-lost friend. Harry was confused. If this was a relative of Albus's, and supposedly well versed in Defense, why wasn't he in the Order? The man had also casually told Harry that he had known his parents and they had named Harry after him, thinking their friend dead.

That afternoon Harry had free time from lessons. He took out his photo album and searched through it for pictures with this new professor. He only found two, apparently in his parents' seventh year at Hogwarts. There was a shot of James, Sirius, Remus, and the professor, his arm around Remus's shoulders. The four of them were in the Gryffindor common room, posing on the sofa in front of the fire that Harry and his friends favored. The other picture showed the professor, James, and Lily talking by the lake. The professor was sitting between Harry's parents and the three of them looked very close.

Harry flipped further through the album and saw that later pictures didn't have the professor in them. He didn't appear in the graduation pictures or at his parents' wedding. He did say that Harry's parents had thought him dead, so Harry guessed that was why he wasn't at the wedding.

Harry was walking through the corridors of the castle and ended up at the remaining bit of the Weasley Portable Swamp that Flitwick had left as a memorial, and free advertisement for Weasley Wizarding Wheezes. He jumped when a hand landed on his shoulder. He hadn't even been aware anyone was there. He spun around and tried to draw his wand, but it caught on his belt.

He relaxed when he saw the defense professor. The man was chuckling softly, "Sorry about that. I didn't mean to startle you."

"That's okay. I should have known you were there," Harry responded. It had been over a month since anyone had snuck up on him.

"Has Alastor given you his vanishing buttocks lecture yet?" Professor Jameson asked with a chuckle.

Harry nodded and laughed, "Yeah."

"You need a safer way to carry your wand. Most wizards leave them in the pocket of their robes, but that's not safe for an Auror or fighter," said Jameson.

"Where do you keep yours?" Harry asked, trying to size this man up. Was he going to be a good Defense professor?

The professor flicked his wrist and his wand shot out from the sleeve of his robes and into his hand. Harry stared. It was a fast way to get your wand. Harry almost missed when the professor flicked his other wrist and another wand shot out.

"You need a secondary wand as well, especially with the peculiarities of your wand. I'll ask Albus if Ollivander can send a few over for you to try out. None will be as good as your primary wand, but you're powerful enough to get decent results from any wand," Jameson said. "Come with me."

Harry followed as the professor walked away, "Where are we going?"

"Albus," he answered matter-of-factly. "You need another wand."

Harry decided to find out more about the professor on their way, "You were a Gryffindor?"

"Yeah," Jameson answered, "How did you know?"

"I have some pictures of my parents. You were with the Marauders in the common room in one of them," Harry explained.

His new professor smiled wistfully, "I remember that one. Moony sent it to Hagrid when he made that album along with the wedding pictures and some others from school."

"Why are you only in a few pictures?" Harry asked.

"Well, I hate cameras," Jameson answered, "and I wasn't at Hogwarts for long, but that's a story for another time."

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

Please Review!

ooOoo


	9. Chapter 9

**Changes**

**Part Nine**

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

Harry wasn't quite sure how it came about, but he was brewing the Wolfsbane potion for Remus for that month. He had asked Snape if he could try it, fully expecting a 'No' in response. Snape looked just as surprised as Harry was when he agreed. He had ordered Harry to write a long essay on the exact process of the brewing before he would let him try though, as most of the ingredients were very expensive and the potion was delicate and difficult.

Harry added the crushed moonflowers slowly while stirring clockwise. Once the potion turned a rusty red he turned down the flame to simmer for five hours. He was packing away his ingredients when Snape approached him.

"Did Poppy ever see your hand?" he asked in a conversational way that made him seem completely indifferent.

"No," Harry answered shortly.

He took his supplies back to the supply cupboard. Harry could not figure out Snape. The man saved his life several times, treated him horribly, they finally came to some sort of détente, and now was he actually concerned? He took his time sorting his unused ingredients into their appropriate storage containers.

When he turned around reluctantly to return to the classroom Snape was blocking the only exit. Harry jumped, startled to see him hovering like an overgrown bat.

"You should have known I was here," Snape commented.

"I was blocking it," was Harry's reply.

"Do not trust anyone that much," Snape said without emotion. "You have some choices Harry. Now that the faculty has seen your hand Poppy will insist on checking it. You can go there now and get it over with or you can wait for her to track you down and drag you to the hospital wing, willing or not."

Harry glared at Snape. There was no way he was going to the hospital wing while conscious.

Snape sighed, "Or if you take off the charm now I can check it and assure Poppy that you are not dying. From what I saw already there is something wrong with those cuts. By this time they should be scars."

Harry stared at Snape. He had known that sooner or later this would happen. He had expected to be dragged kicking and screaming, or immobilized and levitated, to Madam Pomfrey. Snape was at least offering an alternative. That alone persuaded Harry to cooperate.

Sitting at one of the workstations Harry removed the charm silently and placed his hand on the table. He closed his eyes and leaned back, removing himself from the process. He felt Snape pick up his hand and examine it closely. He heard the hiss of a sharp intake of breathe and the murmur of spells being cast quietly.

"Essence of murtlap would have sped the healing up dramatically," Snape said in his usual sneering tone.

Harry, now that he wasn't actually looking at the man, detected something else in that tone. It sounded like a cover-up for some other emotion.

Harry snorted, "Hermione Granger is my best friend. She had a bowl of murtlap waiting for me every night once she saw what was going on."

"And how long did that take."

"A few nights," Harry said with a shrug.

His hand was released and he sensed Snape moving around though there was no sound of footsteps. The clinking of glass phials and bottles came from another room. When he came back Snape cast another spell over his hand.

"Drink," he ordered.

Harry opened his eyes to see Snape holding out a phial of yellowish liquid. He took it, braced himself, and swallowed the contents of the phial in one pull. Before handing back the empty phial Harry wondered briefly if there were any potions that tasted even remotely pleasant.

"There was a poison on the quill to make sure the healing slowed considerably. You are lucky you were not injured at the Ministry. It might have affected any injuries you received then. The cuts were also deeper as the quill was used more. Another week of detention and you may have had muscle or nerve damage. Your handwriting is atrocious as it is. I would hate to see what would happen if you could no longer use your dominant hand," Snape told him.

Harry felt a tingling and looked at his hand. The red was fading to white, scars taking the place of the partially healing incisions. Harry rubbed a finger over the words and felt them raised up on his hand like Braille. He cast the concealment charm and got up to leave the room.

On his way out he turned back and muttered, "Thank you."

Snape looked up from the work he was doing and they made eye contact briefly, without any animosity. He nodded and returned to his work. Harry left the dungeons and wandered towards his rooms. He gave up trying to figure out Snape and turned his attention instead towards his other studies.

Harry and McGonagall had hit a snag in animagus training. It seemed that his form had fur as well as feathers, and they weren't sure what he was now. Harry had several muggle books on animal identification to search through. McGonagall thought his form was rare, or even extinct. Defense training was starting that night after the next step in the Wolfsbane potion. Professor Jameson was apparently planning a training schedule for him.

Professor Jameson presented some interesting questions. Harry wondered why he had never heard the man's name before, why he had been sure that Albus had no relatives apart from his brother. There was something familiar about the man, about the magic he just barely sensed from him, but he couldn't put his finger on it. As if Harry's thoughts drew him to the man he soon found himself literally bumping into Jameson.

"Professor! Sorry, I, er," Harry stammered.

"It's quite alright Harry," Jameson replied with a smile. "Do you have a moment?"

"Yes. I was just going to do some work, er," Harry said, finally looking around himself. Harry's wanderings had led him to the Defense corridor, rather far from his rooms. He smiled sheepishly, "Guess I wasn't really paying attention to where I was going."

Jameson chuckled, much like Albus often did, "I think that could apply to both of us." Jameson waved his wand and a small package appeared floating in front of him. He casually picked it out of the air and handed it to Harry, "I'd like you to start practicing with these as soon as possible. See if you can figure them out before tonight."

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

Harry flicked his wrist. Nothing happened. He flicked it again. Nothing. He rolled up his sleeve and checked the wand holster that Jameson had given him. It looked like it was strapped on right. He thought it was a bit funny that Jameson had given him two, until he remembered that the professor wanted him to get a second wand. It was a good thing Harry was accustomed to wearing long sleeves even in hot weather, as Dudley's short sleeve hand-me-down shirts had often fit him like long sleeves.

He gave up on trying to draw his wand from the holster, removed the straps, and tucked the wand in his belt. Harry had eaten a light lunch in his room while going through his animal books. Frustrated, he grabbed the books and headed down to first the potions lab for the next step in the Wolfsbane, and then to the great hall for dinner.

The first one there, he took a seat in the middle of the table and ordered his food. He stabbed some garlic spinach with his fork and started eating. The sour cream was already mixed into his baked potato, seasoned exactly how he liked it. His mood lightened when he realized that Dobby must have prepared his dinner that night. No other elf sent his food up seasoned, with the steak already cut into bite-sized pieces.

Light laughter drew Harry's attention away from his food. He looked towards the open doors of the great hall to see Professor McGonagall enter the hall holding the arm of Professor Jameson.

"...and Brian said 'Why is Uncle Sevrus wearing a dress?'" Jameson was saying as they entered. "None of us even knew he was in the room."

"Uncle Sevrus?" McGonagall questioned.

"Tig's fault. You know everyone is an aunt or an uncle once they've visited more than once," Jameson explained. "He's had to come see Albus at the Manor several times and I think Tig has the elves spying on the fireplace. She knows when someone is visiting before anyone else does. Brian couldn't quite pronounce Severus, so he shortened it."

Minerva laughed again. Harry was astonished. He had never seen this side to his Transfiguration professor before.

"Close your mouth Harry," Jameson said. "You'll catch flies."

"Were you talking about Neville's boggart?" Harry asked out of curiosity. He was interested to find out exactly who Tig and Brian were.

"Severus!" Jameson called out. Harry turned again and saw Snape enter the hall with his customary sneer in place. "Come, sit, you might find this story interesting."

Harry nearly choked on his mouthful of potato. There was no chance in hell that Snape would be amused by Neville's boggart. He had been particularly nasty to Neville after that incident.

"Somehow I doubt that, but continue if you must," Snape said coolly as he sat and ordered up his food.

"I was just telling Minerva about how Tig found a boggart in the Manor last week. She uncovered a room that no one had been in, or even knew existed, for at least fifty years. Thinking it would be fun to explore despite the numerous experiences that would tell her otherwise she started examining the old portraits stacked against the walls and peering into trunks. One of the trunks happened to have a boggart in it.

"She ran screaming out of the room and luckily Remus was just down the hall. She led him to the room and, as he was the first in the room, the boggart became a full moon. Remus figured out exactly what had happened, got rid of the boggart, and decided it was time for a lesson on boggarts.

"He got me and Alastor from outside and I sent Brian down to the kitchens. Remus used my pensieve to play back his memory of Harry's class learning about boggarts and I think Brian wandered into the room just as Neville was tackling the boggart for the second time. None of us knew he was there until he asked why Uncle Sevrus was wearing a dress. Of course, Tig tried to teach him everything she had just learned about boggarts, but an almost three-year-old wouldn't quite understand," Jameson finished. "We never did get around to explaining the dress."

More of the staff had filtered in as Jameson was telling his story. They all knew the story of Neville's boggart well, as it was much repeated in the staffroom that year. The table was quickly filled with snickering professors and a fuming Snape.

"Lighten up Severus," Jameson said as he clapped Snape on the back. "You'll die of a coronary by fifty if you never learn to laugh at yourself."

"At least I never have to teach that imbecile Longbottom again," Snape grumbled. "What was Tig's boggart?"

Jameson shrugged, "She refused to tell anyone. Knowing her it was probably some muggle movie monster. We managed last year to charm some muggle technology so it will work in the Manor. She and Arthur Weasley keep watching monster movies together. I think he likes the telly more than the movies, though."

Harry had an evil thought and suddenly felt a kinship to the Weasley twins. "I got an owl from Ron," he said lightly. "Neville managed an 'O' in potions, so he'll be in the N.E.W.T. class."

There was the sound of silverware clattering to the table and then silence as every professor at the table stared at Harry with open mouths. Harry looked at Albus and saw he was the only one not gaping. His eyes were twinkling more than usual. Harry tried to look completely innocent as he looked around at the silent staff. Snape, horrified, looked like he was about to have that coronary Jameson predicted. Jameson, on the other hand, was looking at Harry as though he was trying to figure some difficult problem out. They made eye contact and Jameson burst out laughing, breaking the silence.

"Are you insane?" Snape rasped at Jameson, voicing the question half the table had.

"Look at his eyes!" Jameson said, pointing at Harry.

Harry looked at Jameson in confusion. What did his eyes have to do with anything? Professor McGonagall was the next to laugh. She leaned over Jameson to talk to Snape.

"His eyes are twinkling Severus," she commented. "Harry may have been spending a bit too much time with Albus. As Neville Longbottom's Head of House, I can assure you he got an 'A' in potions and did not sign up for any potions classes. Well done, Harry."

Snape's eyes grew wide before he quickly regained his composure, "Thank Merlin. You are lucky, Minerva, that house points cannot be lost until term begins."

Harry ignored Snape's comment and went back to his dinner. Luckily, food at Hogwarts never got cold. If you left it for long enough, though, the house elves thought you were finished and it disappeared.

"That's one for the pensieve, Albus," said Jameson. "Aberforth would have loved to see Severus's face just now."

Snape's eyes narrowed as he turned to Jameson, "Just how many images of me do you have stored in that accursed thing?"

"Only a few Severus," Jameson replied. "You're almost never this much fun. Excellent job, Harry."

Harry smiled at his defense professor and turned to Snape, "Sorry Father Snape."

The Potions Master looked at Harry wide-eyed and spluttered, "What did you call me?"

Harry couldn't explain through his laughter. He hadn't had this much fun in a long time. Albus explained his encounter with Harry's neighbor and Snape went back to his meal, glaring at anyone that dared to talk to him for any reason. Harry ignored the dinner conversation for the rest of the meal and thought about the mystery that was the defense professor. The man certainly acted like he was a Marauder, but there were only four nicknames on the Map. Then Harry remembered that Jameson hadn't been at Hogwarts for very long. He probably wasn't there when they made the Map. He got up to leave, but was stopped as he stepped away from the table.

"I see you haven't had much luck yet," Jameson mentioned. Harry looked at him in confusion yet again. "Your wand?"

Harry shook his head, "I don't get it. I've seen you use them, but my wand just sits there."

"It's simple really, but don't feel bad for missing it," Jameson smiled. "You have to summon it. The reason most wizards carry their wands in a pocket is because they wouldn't be able to summon their wand unless it was their hand already."

"You can do wandless magic?" Harry asked, amazed. Who was this man?

Jameson's smile grew into a grin, "All sorts of talents run in the family. I don't use it much."

"Tell Charlie Weasley that," McGonagall commented.

"That was just instinct," Jameson defended himself. "What else was I supposed to do?"

Harry left the hall making a mental list of all the questions he had about his new professor.

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

Please Review!

ooOoo


	10. Chapter 10

**Changes**

**Part Ten**

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

"Harry," Minerva called out as he was walking to his rooms. "Did you intend to leave your books behind?"

"There's nothing in there," Harry said, looking frustrated. "Why was I using muggle books anyway? They don't have half the animals that actually exist in there."

"Wizards authors tend to concentrate on those things which are solely a part of the wizarding world," Minerva explained as she banished the books she was holding back to her classroom. "An animal book written by a wizard author would normally not include a common dog, or an anaconda, but rather a crup and a basilisk."

"I still don't understand why I was focusing on non-magical animals," Harry insisted.

"Harry," Minerva said in her stern classroom voice. "There has not been an animagus with a magical form for over one thousand years. You should know that by now."

Harry snorted, "Then with the way things go for me mine is almost certainly magical."

The statement triggered something in Minerva's mind. She looked Harry over, thinking carefully, until he started to shift under her scrutiny, "Come with me Harry."

Minerva took hold of his arm and steered him to the Transfiguration classroom. She took out some parchment and scribbled a quick note. The parchment disappeared when she tapped it with her wand.

"What was that spell?" Harry asked eagerly.

"Oh no," Minerva said. "I will not introduce an easy way for students to pass notes in class. You can forget about learning that spell." Harry pouted and Minerva laughed. "The neglected puppy dog eyes didn't work for your father and they won't work for you. I just let Professor Jameson know that I'm stealing you from your defense lesson tonight. If we finish early we'll find him and you two can start."

"Okay. Did you figure something out, because I thought we were stuck," Harry said.

Minerva smiled. Harry was extremely powerful and talented, but was quite thick at times. His practical scores were always much better than his theoretical work. He actually seemed to work better when he ignored theory all together. Sirius Black had been the same way.

Minerva pulled out her copy of _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_ and opened to the page she had though of just a few minutes before. She handed the book to Harry.

His eyes lit up as he looked at the illustration and quickly read the description, "This is it. I know it is. I can feel it."

Minerva smiled. He was practically bouncing up and down with excitement. "I am going to transfigure you. If this is your animagus form it should feel very comfortable to you. You will keep your mind, but your senses will be altered, enhanced."

He nodded in excitement, his eyes sparkling. Minerva flourished her wand, and in place of Harry Potter stood a griffin. The animal instantly began inspecting itself. The eagle head twisted this way and that to see as much of the body as it could. The eagle feathers continued down the neck and gradually transitioned to sleek deep golden fur. The feathers circled the shoulders and ended in a point on the chest. Eagle wings stretched out with a span of at least ten feet.

The body was that of a lion. The legs were powerfully muscled and the paws had great pads for silent walking. Claws slid out and were easily retracted like those of a cat. The lion tail swished back in forth in a clear expression of happiness. The eagle head came up to look Minerva in the eye. If an eagle could smile, this one would. There were two things which convinced Minerva that this was Harry's form. The eyes were twinkling as they had been at lunch, a trait clearly picked up from Albus, and above the right eye two white feathers sat at an angle, forming a lightning bolt.

Minerva reached out and stroked the feathers of the eagle head. A deep rumbling purr rose up from the lion chest. It was an odd sound to hear when looking at an eagle's eyes. The eagle's beak opened and a sound that was a cross between a roar and a screech was emitted. Minerva had never heard anything like it, as no wizard had seen a griffin in over one hundred years. They were very reclusive creatures.

The door to the classroom opened and Albus and Harry Jameson entered. Minerva stopped petting the griffin and turned to greet them.

"Oh my, is this Harry's form?" Albus asked, eyes twinkling.

"Why do I get the feeling you knew before we did?" a voice behind her asked.

Minerva jumped, "Harry! You shouldn't have been able to change back."

"Why not?" Harry asked.

"When you change into your form you will be able to switch back at will. As I had transfigured you, you should not have been able to do that," she lectured. "Do you think Draco Malfoy would have remained as a ferret if he could become human again on his own?"

Minerva knew as soon as she spoke that she should not have used the Malfoy boy as an example. All three males in the room were chuckling, no doubt picturing the incident. Albus gathered his composure first, and looked at the other two in a mildly disapproving way which made them laugh harder. She shook her head in resignation. As much as she disliked the younger Malfoy that had been a rather cruel punishment. Her only relief at the end of that year came from knowing that Alastor was not actually responsible for that.

"Elias sent me a few wands for Harry to try Minerva," Albus said. "I would like to get the extras back tomorrow morning if possible."

Minerva conjured a small table for Albus to lay the wands out. There were six in total, all of similar length to the wand Harry already had. He approached the table slowly and stretched out his left hand, letting it hover above the wands. He closed his eyes and Minerva watched as he slowly moved his hand back and forth over the wands.

It was amazing to watch. Harry's stance altered as he switched from mirth to concentration. He held himself like a dancer or a fencer, posture straight and body ready to move in an instant but not tensed. His facial muscles were relaxed and a slight smile turned up the corners of his mouth. All the while his hand never moved beyond the width of the table. His smile widened and his eyes opened as he picked up one of the wands from the table.

Harry grinned at the gathered professors and flicked the wand. Minerva heard a small pop and looked to her side. Albus and Harry Jameson each had the others' hair. Harry Potter was laughing at them.

"I was wondering just how much you looked like each other," Harry said. "With all of Albus's hair it's hard to tell!"

Minerva laughed with Harry. Albus and his nephew had conjured mirrors to examine their new looks.

"Hmm," Harry Jameson said. "I've always wondered..."

He began making faces into the mirror. It was definitely a sight. While Albus had a mischievous side he was generally too dignified for silly face-making. Albus turned and raised his eyebrows at his nephew. Harry Jameson stopped and returned the hair to its rightful owners with a swish of his wand and then attempted to look serious.

"Pensieve?" Albus asked.

Harry Jameson shrugged, "We could always give Aberforth and the kids a repeat performance. They'd probably like that better."

They turned their attention back to Harry Potter.

"Fitting choice Harry," Albus said seriously, though his eyes were still twinkling. "That wand is made of African banyan wood, with a griffin feather core."

Harry Potter's eyes widened and Harry Jameson's head snapped to look at Albus.

"Did you happen to help Ollivander acquire that feather?" Harry Jameson asked shrewdly. Minerva had the feeling she was missing something she should have known.

Albus just smiled and twinkled at him before turning to address Minerva, "We will leave you to your practice."

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

Harry was practically bouncing off the walls. McGonagall had said that if he practiced enough he would finish his animagus training in just a few weeks. She had confided in him that the reason it had taken his father, Sirius, and Pettigrew so long was that during the school year the library at Hogwarts had books that discussed the nature of an animagus, but none on the process of how to become one. All of those were securely in her office. It was not an ability that took long to learn to learn if you were powerful enough, unless you were discovering the process on your own. It just took quite a bit of power and was heavily restricted by the Ministry.

When Harry went up to Albus's office later that night they had had another conversation about withholding information. After accepting a lemon drop, which made Albus very happy, Harry had reclined into the chair he was beginning to feel was his. It was upholstered with old deep red cracking leather, had an incredibly soft seat and a high back.

"How would you like it if Hermione joined you for the rest of the summer?" Albus had asked once Harry was settled.

Harry was immediately suspicious. There were only two weeks left to the summer, so some planning had to have gone into this already, "When would she come?"

"The Weasleys could bring her here as early as tomorrow if you wish," the headmaster offered.

"Why didn't you ask me earlier?" Harry asked warily.

Albus leaned forward and looked Harry in the eye, "I did not wish to get your hopes up. The Grangers had to be contacted for permission and both Hermione and you consulted before any firm plans could be made."

Harry finally smiled. No one needed to ask Hermione if she wanted to go to school early, "What about Ron?"

"I believe Mr. Weasley's exact words were, 'Why would anyone want to do school work before classes started?' His term for the two of you was 'mental,' if I recall correctly," Albus said smiling.

"That's Ron," Harry grinned.

It had been settled quickly and Hermione would stay after the Order meeting that evening. Dobby had come to Harry's rooms in the morning and set about adding another bedroom off the common space. His miniature version of Gryffindor Tower was now complete with a boy's side and a girl's side.

When Harry entered the great hall for the meeting he was surprised to see some people he knew that he did not know were Order members. Amelia Bones, who had been at Harry's trial, was talking to McGonagall and Neville's grandmother. Jameson was leaning against a wall, sipping a butterbeer, and discussing something with Remus and another man who Harry thought at first was Albus. Then Albus entered the room and Harry realized that must be his brother Aberforth. Harry studied him for a moment and saw some subtle differences in how they held themselves and dressed. Aberforth's robes were more plain and worn. He also did not stand as straight as Albus.

Bill Weasley was talking to someone who had to be a Weasley, but Harry had never met him. He looked a bit younger than Remus and Jameson, maybe about the same age as Tonks. Fleur Delacour was standing with them, her arm around Bill's waist, and waved when she saw Harry.

Harry made his way over to the table set up with food and drinks. The twins hadn't arrived yet, so all the food was safe for consumption. Harry munched on a few chips and grabbed himself a bottle of butterbeer.

"Hello Harry," a soft alto said next to him.

Harry turned and saw the Arithmancy professor standing next to him. He racked his brain for a moment before he remembered her name.

"Hi Professor Vector," he said.

She laughed, "Call me Anne here. Had things transpired differently you would have been calling me Anne for years. I shared a dorm with your mother in Gryffindor."

Harry was glad to meet one of his mother's friends. To this point, everyone he had talked to about his parents had known his father better and mostly talked about him. Harry took the opportunity to learn a little bit about her. He found out that his mother got as frustrated with quidditch as Hermione did and that though her best subject was Charms, she loved Astronomy. He listened with undivided attention to some of the first stories about his mother he had ever heard.

"Harry!" Ron's voice called right before he gave Harry a friendly slap on the back.

Harry turned and gave Ron a quick rabbit punch to the arm. He spotted Hermione hovering behind Ron and looked down. Ron and Hermione fought all the time. Harry and Ron fought now and then. Harry and Hermione almost never fought. When they did it was because she was trying to help him when he didn't want her to.

"I'msorryMione," he mumbled quietly.

"Me too Harry," she whispered.

Almost before he knew it Harry was enfolded in a fuzzy brown haired hug. He shifted uncomfortably as he was not really accustomed to being hugged.

"Er, 'Mione?" he said with a desperate look to Ron, who just shrugged.

She pulled away and smacked his arm, "Prat."

Harry had noticed early on that Tonks was not at the meeting, but it took him awhile to realize that Kingsley was also absent. While Albus was talking about security for the Hogwarts Express Harry checked carefully to see who was at the meeting. While Amelia Bones, the Head of the Magical Law Enforcement Department was there, none of the Aurors were there.

"Does anyone have any suggestions?" Albus asked.

"We could just advertise that I won't be on the train," Harry suggested almost in jest.

There were a few chuckles in response to the suggestion.

"I don't mean we should take an ad out in the_ Prophet_," he clarified. "We could have Prof, erm, Severus report that I've been taken here early as a security measure. That alone should reduce the risk of attack on the train."

"Harry does have something there," Snape replied. Harry was surprised by his support in front of others. "The Dark Lord is rather obsessed with trying to kill Harry and knowing he is safely ensconced at Hogwarts could prevent an attack. I suspect I will be summoned within the next few days."

Amelia Bones looked at them both shrewdly before speaking, "That may be, but parents will feel reassured by a visible show of defense on the train. I am willing to assign a team of Aurors to ride the train. The Minister is reluctant," she rolled her eyes, "to sign off on the petition to declare Black deceased, forcing me to keep the search active. As Shackelbolt is in charge of the search he has little to do. I can put him in charge of the defense of the Express."

Harry did not hear Albus's reply. That was the first Harry had heard about Sirius all summer. Everyone seemed to be avoiding the subject, which suited him fine. Every time he had been outside flying that summer Harry had thought about his godfather. The feel of his Firebolt, the sight of the Whomping Willow, too many things reminded him of Sirius. Harry still blamed himself for Sirius's death, for Cedric's death. Hermione nudged Harry and he started paying attention to the meeting again.

"Is there any new business?" Albus asked.

"I have heard rumor of a secret defense club led by Harry last year," Amelia Bones said. "According to my niece Susan it is the only reason she passed her O.W.L., and she did exceedingly well. I checked with the education department and found that an unusually high number of students achieved an Outstanding or Exceeds Expectations on their Defense Against the Dark Arts exam. Is this club going to continue?"

"Harry and, well, Harry?" Albus prompted.

There was some snickering, probably from the twins, as Harry and Jameson exchanges glances.

"Makes my job easier," Jameson said with grin. "Seriously, though, in the times approaching personal defense is a necessary skill. Dueling clubs are too formal and the rules really don't apply in a battle situation. I have no objection to my students getting all the practice they can and fully approve of Harry leading them."

There were a few confused looks that were taken care of by Albus, "My nephew is returning to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts for those of you who did not yet know."

Harry shrugged, "I guess the DA can keep meeting. Hermione deserves as much credit as I do, though. She and Ron convinced me to do it in the first place and she took care of all our... security."

Hermione beamed next to him, as she did when congratulated for her class work by a professor. Harry laughed and elbowed her in the side. Just then the doors of the great hall banged open and Tonks staggered in. She had a bruise on one cheek, a bloody nose, and her robes were dirty.

"Attack...Bedfordshire...muggle-borns," she managed to get out between gasping breaths.

Snape jumped up in his seat, grasping his left forearm, "I've been summoned."

"It has started," Albus said darkly.

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

Please Review!

ooOoo


	11. Chapter 11

**Changes**

**Part Eleven**

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

It turned out that several towns had been attacked. The Order meeting lasted much longer than was expected. It was well past midnight when Harry showed Hermione where they were staying, "We're not in the Tower. I think they didn't want me that far from everyone else staying over the summer. We share a common room in a little guest suite in the main core of the castle. We're pretty close to Albus's office."

Hermione just nodded, her face ashen. They got to a tapestry of a brother and sister auror team from the 1700s, Ernest and Eleanor White. Harry said the password, 'Norbert the Norwegian Ridgeback,' and the tapestry lifted like a curtain for them to enter.

"I can't believe it," Hermione said as they sat in front of the fire. Neither one of them wanted to go to sleep. "Justin kept his family safe at least, but little Bethy is gone and Orla Quirke from Ravenclaw."

"Yeah," Harry said sadly. Elizabeth Johansen would have been a Gryffindor second year. "They got one of the beaters from Hufflepuff and his little sister would have been a first year. I think the other boy was a Ravenclaw, but I don't know."

Hermione wiped away a tear and Harry stood to pace. He was feeling both guilty and angry. He knew the attacks weren't truly his fault, but the longer he waited to kill Voldemort, the more people would die. He was furious that the weight of this war was on his shoulders. What kind of messed up society relied on a sixteen-year-old boy to save the world? It didn't matter that he was powerful, or that he had a connection to Voldemort. He wasn't trained to fight a war. When Harry stopped his pacing he saw that Hermione was staring at him, her mouth forming an 'o' of surprise.

"What?" he asked.

"Harry," she said. "At the Ministry, did you feel Dumbledore's magic when he was mad?"

Harry nodded, "So? It was the same in fourth year, in Moo, er, Crouch's office."

"Harry, you felt like that just now."

Harry felt his own eyes grow wide in surprise. Like never before, he felt an almost desperate need to confide in his friend. Over the years she had proven that no matter what happened she would stick by him. He walked over to the couch and joined Hermione again.

"Hermione, can I tell you something?" Harry bit his lower lip.

Hermione nodded and changed position to face him, "You can tell me anything Harry."

"It's about, er, the..." Harry wasn't quite sure how to tell he had been keeping something from them since June, especially after the way he acted the previous year.

"The prophecy Harry?" Hermione asked softly. Harry looked at her in surprise. "Ron figured out you knew from something Dumbledore said in our first meeting when we weren't there."

Harry closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He decided if he was going to shock her with one thing he might as well tell it all and get it over with, "After Sir... after he fell through the veil I chased Belletrix up to the atrium, determined to kill her in revenge..."

Harry had opened his eyes and was staring into the fire as he spoke. He was just spilling everything that had happened, everything he felt at the time. It all seemed very distant though as he told her, as though none of it affected him.

"...and I just left his office without talking about it. I asked to start occlumency lessons again this summer so Snape started coming to the Dursleys. That was when I found out I could do wandless magic..."

Hermione had shifted to lean against Harry with her arm around him. He barely registered her presence. The flames in the fireplace flickered and leapt. They were almost hypnotizing.

"...I'm nearly done with my animagus training. I've been training in defense with the new defense teacher and sometimes Remus and working on potions and occlumency with Snape. When Flitwick gets back he'll be teaching me, or us I guess, about warding. Albus has been training me in control, and also working on occlumency with me now. He also gave me my Firebolt back and sometimes I fly until I'm numb all over."

"Oh Harry!" Hermione strengthened her hug.

Harry pulled away a bit, "Sorry, it's just, I, uh, I'm not really used to hugs, and stuff."

Hermione nodded and loosened her grip. She pulled out her wand, "_Accio parchment, quill, and ink!_"

She spread out a sheet of parchment on the table between the couch and the fireplace. Hunching over, she began to write out the prophecy. She sat up and rubbed her back. Harry waved his hand and the legs of the table grew. He stopped them at a good writing height.

"Oh!" Hermione gasped. "Thanks." There was a pause as she studied him. "You didn't use your wand! It's one thing to hear you say it, but then you use it."

Harry shifted, not really comfortable with her analyzing his new skills, "What are you writing the prophecy down for?"

"Helps me think," she explained shortly. "Don't worry, I've charmed the parchment so no one except you or I will be able to read it. We'll burn it when we're done just in case. Any charm can be broken."

Harry nodded. She was getting into true Hermione problem solving form. It was comforting in its familiarity. It made dealing with the prophecy like another quest to save the Sorcerer's Stone, or task in the Triwizard Tournament.

"Who knows the whole prophecy besides you and me and Dumbledore?" she asked.

"No one else that I know of knows. My parents knew and Neville's parents knew, but none of them can repeat it now," Harry finished quietly. He shook it off and continued, "It's why all of us were in hiding. At some point I'd like to tell Neville, but I don't know if it's a good idea right now."

"So what this boils down to is if you don't kill Voldemort he will kill you, but you have the power to kill him," Hermione stated firmly.

"That's the way I figure it. 'Mione," Harry said feeling some slight panic, "I don't know if I can kill anyone. I couldn't even hate enough to cast Cruciatus on the woman I'd just seen kill my godfather. What if I need to feel hate to use the killing curse? What if I just can't bring myself to do it? I - I don't want to be a murderer."

"Do you want to die?" she asked coldly.

Harry flinched, "No!"

"Harry, it seems like you don't have much of a choice here," she said. "Dumbledore said we will all have to choose between what is right and what is easy. For you, it would be easy to let Voldemort kill you. It would be right to kill him. Which choice are you going to make?"

"How can you ask that?" Harry jumped off the couch, his body burning with rage again. He was yelling. "I'm going to kill the bastard. For Cedric, for Sirius, for Neville and his parents, for my parents, for all those kids who died tonight, but most of all for me, I will kill him!"

Harry felt his magic swirling around him again. It was whipping at his robes. Hermione was sitting still on the couch while her hair blew around her face, but her parchment remained unaffected. She looked at Harry with an expression that would have put McGonagall to shame. Harry stood straight and willed the whirlwind to quiet down. When it stopped he felt more alive and awake than he had all summer.

"Now that that's settled," Hermione said primly, "are you going to tell Ron?"

Harry sat down and shook his head decisively. His voice was firm and sure when he spoke, "No. He'll just freak out and, well, Ron is my escape. I think he knows it, too. When it all gets too much I can talk to him about quidditch, or go flying, or play chess or cards. You and Remus and the Weasleys are the only ones left who I can just be Harry with. That would change if Ron knew. If something happens you can tell him, but not now."

Hermione nodded, "He'll be fine with that. He actually said something along those lines. It was his idea for me to come here."

Harry's eyes widened. He hadn't given Ron that much credit and silently derided himself for underestimating his best friend, for assuming Harry was the only one who could change, "I guess we've all grown a lot."

"Fighting a bunch of Death Eaters inside the Ministry of Magic and barely escaping with your lives will do that, and don't you dare apologize!" Hermione admonished. "Nothing that happened was your fault any more than the weather in Acapulco is your fault!"

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

Harry woke earlier than Hermione. She had fallen asleep while they were talking and he had eventually followed. His body was getting used to his only getting a few hours of sleep per night. He ordered up some food from the kitchens and ate a quick, small breakfast, leaving the rest for Hermione once she woke. He jotted a quick note for her and tucked its corner under a plate of scones.

_Morning 'Mione_

_I'm in the potions lab 'till lunch, transfiguration 'till dinner, defense after. Join in anytime. Breakfast will still be hot thanks to Dobby._

The sense of determination that had filled him early on in the summer had been given a jumpstart and enhanced by the talk with Hermione after the meeting. Once he got to the potion lab he discovered that Snape wasn't back yet. He lit a fire under his cauldron and got out his book to find a potion to brew. The Wolfsbane had gone well and Harry was tempted to try another advanced potion. Healing potions were probably a good idea. He suspected he would need them more than any others.

Harry flipped to the section on healing potions in his text for the approaching term. He found the recipe for Skele-Grow and grimaced, recalling the horrid taste. The formula was complicated and time consuming, and he didn't have some of the necessary ingredients. He continued flipping and saw a potion for healing internal injuries that didn't look terribly difficult. He reviewed it quickly, saw that the majority of the ingredients couldn't cause an explosion, and decided to go with it.

Harry was immensely proud with himself as he put the finishing touches on his potion. He felt someone enter the room but didn't look up. It was a familiar presence, no, two people. There was a slight contrast between them, as if where their magical energies met a dissonant cord was created. He pushed the thought aside so he wouldn't mess up his work. He put out his flame and set the cauldron aside.

"Hi 'Mione, Hello Severus," he said before turning.

Hermione gasped and Snape smirked at her.

"Well," Harry said, "are you coming in or are you going to gawk in the doorway all day? Mind, I do have to leave the room at some point."

Snape snorted and came forward to inspect his potion. He looked in the cauldron and then sniffed from a safe distance. He waved his wand over it and murmured something. He looked at Harry and raised an eyebrow, then reached around him for Harry's still open text. By this time Hermione had come to stand beside him.

"Did I give you permission to work on this potion?" Snape asked in a quiet tone that gave no clue as to his intention with the question.

"No," Harry said casually.

"What made you think you could brew it," Snape asked, "especially as I was not present?"

"I brewed Wolfsbane under your supervision," Harry stated. "I thought that healing potions were probably the most useful for me to learn, given the amount of time I spend with Poppy. This looked to be amongst the simplest in the book, and the ingredients are mostly non-volatile."

Snape nodded, "That is adequate. If you can justify your reasoning you are welcome to brew whatever potion you feel you can. If you blow up the classroom you will take full responsibility."

"Yes," Harry agreed.

"I trust Miss Granger," Snape said in his icy classroom voice, "that you will also make sure he does not cause permanent bodily harm to himself or others?"

Hermione smiled, "If you can call him Harry, then I am Hermione, and of course I will."

Snape glared at them for a moment to no effect and stalked away muttering about insufferable Gryffindors. Harry smiled at the retreating black billowing robes.

"You ready for lunch 'Mione?" Harry asked.

"Actually I just ate," she replied. "I want to meet the new defense professor, though. Maybe we can find him."

They left the potions classroom, stopped off at the kitchens for a snack for Harry, and made their way up to the defense corridor. As they were walking Harry told Hermione all the questions he had about the new defense professor. Harry felt he could trust the man, but there was something that felt strange. Just outside the defense classroom the sound of voices inside could be heard.

"Until this year I thought you weren't an Order member," McGonagall was saying.

Harry fished around in his pocket and pulled out two Extendable Ears to make eavesdropping easier. He fitted one to his ear and handed the other to Hermione. She seemed to battle with the propriety of the situation before shrugging and activating her own listening device.

"Minerva, you know what I was doing before Tig was born," Jameson said. "I've been an official member of the Order for over fifteen years. I just don't usually attend meetings. Most of the work I do for Albus is outside of the general Order's knowledge. Molly offered to look after Tig and Brian last night, though."

"Where is your phoenix?" McGonagall asked. By her tone Harry guessed she was grinning.

"I'll tell where mine is if you tell where yours is," Jameson responded.

'Are they flirting?' Hermione mouthed to Harry. Harry shrugged. There was a crash down the hall and Harry jumped. He pulled back his Extendable Ear and saw Hermione doing the same. They didn't want to get caught by Peeves. They did decide to stick around in case they overheard anything interesting. Harry would detect anyone approaching.

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

Please Review!

ooOoo


	12. Chapter 12

**Changes**

**Part Twelve**

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

Minerva tapped her ankle with her wand and Jameson laughed. He patted his lower back.

"So Minerva, when was the last time you went flying?" Jameson asked.

Minerva laughed and shook her head. Every time he saw her he asked the same question. "You should know, as I give you the same answer every time you ask. The last time I went flying was the last time _we_ went flying."

Jameson's eyes twinkled, "Feel up for a game?"

Minerva sighed, "My knee is still bothering me, and it's been quite some time since my chaser days."

The twinkle faded and a look of concern replaced the playful expression. Jameson took out his wand and cast a diagnostic spell. He pursed his lips and twirled his wand when he was done.

"There is still some cartilage trouble," he said. "I think there's a potion Severus can make to help you out. In the meantime, try a heating charm to relax the muscles. You're probably straining them to compensate and I'll bet you've refused to see a healer since they let you out of Mungo's. We still need a rematch from that tie game. We haven't flown on a proper pitch in years."

"I'll have to ask him, then," Minerva said. She realized that her earlier line of questioning had been skillfully avoided. "Harry, why haven't you been attending the meetings? The house elves at the Manor are fully capable of looking after the kids."

He ran his fingers through his hair in the gesture that he and James Potter had shared. Harry Potter had also seemed to pick that one up... maybe it was the messy hair.

"Minerva, have you talked to Albus about my dreams?" Jameson asked her.

"You told me to," Minerva replied softly.

"If you could have stopped the attack on Lily and James would you have?" he posed.

"Of course I would! I –"

"Would you, if it meant that Voldemort remained in power and perhaps even grew stronger?" Jameson questioned her firmly.

Minerva drank some tea. She had never believed that divination should be taught as a subject. It was too imprecise and, frankly, seers were born with their talents. No amount of teaching could make a seer. Never had she considered the burden that lay on a seer.

"No, I suppose I would not stop it. Don't blame yourself Harry. You did not cast the curse and you probably would not have been able to stop it," Minerva urged.

"We'll never know now. Sometimes I know something will happen, but not exactly what. There are times when I know exactly what is going to happen. That night was a mixture of the two. I had no idea about Edinburgh, but I knew Voldemort would kill Lily and James and that he would fall as well. Of course, I couldn't possibly have found them unless I found Peter first, and I probably would have had to get his location from Sirius," Jameson said sadly.

"No one would have tried Peter anyway as Sirius was the obvious choice for secret keeper. Harry you saved many lives that night. Reyna told me that using the force apparition spell was your idea. Without you Edinburgh might have been a slaughter," Minerva reached out a comforting hand and held his arm.

Jameson sighed and then smiled, "You always manage to make me see a way Minerva. I don't go to meetings because I can't tell everyone what I know. Between Albus, Alastor, Aberforth and me, we figure out what is safe to share and Albus takes care of it."

"Do remember that conversation we had not long before you left?" she asked him, remembering it herself.

"If only all our problems were that simple," he smiled fondly. "That one did work out rather well."

"Tig and Brian are proof of that," Minerva smiled back. She was godmother to both children. "How is your training with Harry going? You got to see mine."

"He's a natural. So long as he doesn't think too hard and get frustrated he picks up techniques and spells quickly," Jameson told her.

"I see you have him using those holsters you love so much," she teased. "Are you trying to make a miniature version of yourself?"

"Nah," he said with his eyes twinkling. "I've got Bri for that. I'm just trying to get Prongs Jr. ready. He's got a hell of a life ahead of him. Thank Merlin he's got those friends of his. He'd never make it without them."

"We are all rather fond of those three," Minerva admitted. "Each of them has their own strengths, and together they are simply amazing. Has Albus told you about all their adventures?"

Jameson nodded, grinning, "We've discussed them. You should have seen him after their second year. I don't think I've ever seen him come closer to losing it."

"What possessed you to tell Gilderoy to apply for the job?" Minerva asked in disbelief.

Jameson was laughing hysterically, "I can't stand that git! I saw the wand backfire and knew it was in Hogwarts. I couldn't resist! Albus didn't find it too funny."

"You spent too much time around Sirius Black. I think his sense of humor rubbed off," Minerva accused.

"You say that like it's a bad thing."

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

Outside the classroom in the corridor Harry turned to Hermione and saw that her expression reflected his astonishment. The two hurried back to their common room where they could talk in private about the conversation they overheard. As they walked through the entrance Harry waved his hand to light the fire, not bothering to use either wand.

"You'll have to be more careful about that when classes start," Hermione warned.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, well it makes me really tired if I use it too much. I don't think that abstaining will be a problem," Harry flopped onto the couch and stared at the fire. "He could have saved them."

"You don't know that Harry. Just because you know something is going to happen it doesn't mean you know when, where, or how," Hermione said astutely.

"But the way he was talking about it..." Harry tried to object.

"Harry, was there anything you could do to save Cedric once you touched the cup?" Hermione asked.

"No," Harry admitted reluctantly.

"Even if you went back in time and both of you touched the cup, could you have saved him?" she pried.

"Probably not," Harry said glumly.

"And if you could go back in time would you save your parents, knowing everything that has happened since that night?" she demanded.

Harry shook his head, unable to articulate. He knew deep down that his parents' sacrifice had saved his life and been for the better of the wizarding world. That didn't stop him from wishing someone else had made the sacrifice though.

"Do you even realize all the horrible things that could have happened if your parents hadn't given their lives to save yours that night?" Hermione questioned him.

"I know 'Mione, and I know why I had to go to the Dursleys in the first place and why I still have to go every summer, but that doesn't make it better," Harry said petulantly.

Hermione gave him a quick hug, so fast he didn't have time to react, "That's what we're here for Harry. Your friends are what make it all better."

Harry smiled, then started laughing. Hermione pouted at him.

"Have you ever thought of a career in the greeting card industry 'Mione?" Harry teased.

"You!" she swiped at him and Harry dodged out of the way.

Hermione grinned and Harry saw her eyes sparkle with mischief. She pulled out her wand, summoned a pillow from her bedroom, and started her attack. Harry summoned a pillow of his own and retaliated. Harry was surprised to find how strong Hermione was, especially as she spent most of time curled up with books. He figured it was from carrying all those books around. Harry had a slightly longer reach even though they were almost the same height. The fight ended with both of them collapsed on the floor and out of breath.

Harry put his pillow on Hermione's stomach and curled up beside her. She put an arm around him and Harry drifted off to sleep.

Harry awoke to knocking at the entrance to their common room. Hermione had moved him to the couch and was folded up in an armchair reading the book Snape had given him, _Shades of Grey from Light to Dark: Understanding Magic_. Harry had only scanned it so far, but it looked interesting. He stretched, asked the portrait who was outside, and then said to let him in.

"Sorry to intrude," Professor Jameson said as he poked his head inside.

"Not at all," Hermione replied. She got up to introduce herself, "I am Hermione Granger."

Harry watched the interaction carefully, still curious about this professor. He shook Hermione's hand and introduced himself.

"What can we do for you, sir?" she asked politely.

"Please call me, well, Harry would be confusing, so just call me Jameson," Jameson said with a grin. "Minerva sent me to see if you had forgotten about your lesson again."

"Oh Harry, I'm sorry! I should have woken you!" Hermione gasped.

Harry smiled, "Don't worry 'Mione. It's not like we'll get detention or lose points for being late. As I'm usually early I think I can afford this now and then."

They followed Jameson to the transfiguration classroom when McGonagall was waiting for them. She smiled when they walked in.

"Welcome back Hermione," McGonagall said.

"I'm glad to be here ma'am," Hermione replied primly.

"Tell us everything you know about animagi," McGonagall instructed.

Harry chuckled and settled into a chair, making sure he was comfortable for a long talk. Hermione instantly adjusted her posture, adopted her classroom voice, and began reciting all the facts about animagi available in the Hogwarts library. McGonagall was smiling fondly by the time Hermione finished.

"Very good," McGonagall praised her. "Why do you think magical animal animagi are so rare?"

Harry caught the small smile McGonagall directed at him. He nodded just enough for her to see to let her know he hadn't told Hermione about his form yet. Harry watched Hermione knit her brow in thought, most likely framing her answer.

"Well, an animagus takes on the traits of their form when they transform, such as heightened senses of sight, smell, and hearing. They also tend to take on some of those traits to a lesser extent while in their human form. One of the differences between magical and non-magical creatures is that magical creatures have much more complex systems and there is magic in every part of them, which is why we use their feathers, hairs, and such for our wand cores. Those animals that provide wand cores have the most potent magic. In order to take on a magical form and adapt to the senses a wizard would have to have as much magic as the creature. There are perhaps only two or three wizards of each age that have that much magic and they do not all choose to become an animagus."

Harry's jaw dropped by the time she finished. Hermione was looking at him first in confusion, then thought, and finally comprehension. She was practically bouncing with excitement when McGonagall suggested they get on with Harry's training.

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

Hermione Granger walked into Minerva's office one night when Harry was training with Albus to further control his magic. It was dangerous for anyone else to be in the room at the time, as Albus intentionally ignited Harry's temper, so it was one of the only times that Hermione left Harry's side.

"Professor, I was wondering if I could talk to you?" Hermione asked.

Minerva smiled. No matter how many times they told her to use their first names, Hermione would always revert to titles. She motioned for Hermione to sit, "I am always here if you need to talk Hermione. How can I help you?"

"Well, I'm worried about Harry," Hermione began.

Minerva raised an eyebrow.

"He doesn't eat much, which is normal when he gets back from the Dursleys, but he didn't ask for us to send any food this summer," Hermione stated.

"I discussed that with the headmaster. I think he and the house elves are making sure Harry gets enough nutrients. He is looking much healthier than when he arrived here," Minerva admitted.

"They're spiking his food?" Hermione asked incredulously. Minerva could see the thought process of her favorite student. "That's good, I guess, but if he ever finds out he'll have a fit. Professor, I was wondering if you knew the prophecy?"

Minerva was taken aback, "I know only what is known to all the Death Eaters. So far as I know, Albus and Harry are the only two that know the entire wording."

"Harry told me," Hermione stated. Minerva was momentarily shocked and suddenly even more glad that Hermione had joined them for the summer. "He told me everything that happened at the Ministry."

"Everything?" Minerva asked, surprised.

Hermione nodded, "He's a horrible liar. I know he didn't leave anything out. He wouldn't talk about anything except the prophecy after he told me. Has anyone talked to him about the other things?"

Minerva sighed and leaned back in her chair, "Severus saw the duel with Belletrix in an occlumency session, along with a few other moments. He addressed the duel, but no more."

"I understand why Harry did that, and why it didn't work, but it's not what has me worried," Hermione stated.

"No?" Minerva was intrigued. It was a rare Gryffindor that could rationalize the use of an Unforgivable, even if the curse failed. They had a tendency to be righteous almost to the point of being closed-minded.

"While he was telling me what happened he couldn't even say Sirius's name. I don't know if you understand how close they were. You didn't see Harry when Sirius asked if he wanted to live with him. There was an instantaneous bond between them. Sirius may not have been very responsible, but he was the only real family Harry had. When Voldemort possessed Harry he begged Professor Dumbledore to kill him," Hermione explained.

"I never saw Sirius take anything seriously until Harry was born. You might have thought he was Harry's father instead of James. It was so hard to believe he would betray them," Minerva remembered sadly.

"What can we do for Harry?" Hermione asked.

Minerva looked at her student sadly. She had considered that question for hours while sitting in front of her fire at night, "I am afraid all we can do is wait. We cannot force Harry to talk. All you can do is let him know you are there when he needs you."

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

Please Review!

ooOoo


	13. Chapter 13

**Changes**

**Part Thirteen**

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

Hermione joined in all of Harry's training for the next two weeks, or almost all. When she wasn't participating, such as during occlumency or animagus training, she was studying ahead in her books for the approaching school year. Harry noticed that Hermione was paying close attention to Harry's eating and sleep patterns. He was sure she knew that he only slept a few hours every night and had taken to wandering the corridors of the castle when he couldn't sleep.

The last day before the rest of the students arrived, Professor Jameson stopped by their quarters again. Harry had been given the afternoon off. There was an order meeting that night, and Hermione would go back to the Burrow afterwards and ride the Hogwarts Express the next day. Snape had told Voldemort that Harry was transported to Hogwarts in secret only the day before he was summoned. An irritated Voldemort had put Snape to work brewing healing potions and the spy hadn't been able to gather much information for the Order.

When Jameson entered their common room Harry saw that his eyes were twinkling the same way Albus's did when he was up to something. "I was wondering if I could borrow Harry's map for about an hour. Remus mentioned you have it, though he doesn't know how you came by it."

Harry considered it for a minute. Fred and George were out of school, so they couldn't get in trouble for it anymore, "The Weasley twins pinched it from Filch's filing cabinet in their first year. They passed it on to me when Professor Lupin was teaching."

Jameson grinned, "I've heard some interesting stories about those two. I'll have to make it a point to stop by their store sometime soon."

Harry had summoned the map silently while Jameson was talking. He handed it to his professor who tapped it with his wand and spoke the password. His eyes scanned the map quickly and he broke out into an evil smile, looking much like the Weasley twins did as they planned a prank.

"Excellent," he said. "I'll get this back to you at dinner. Oh! Albus wanted you to stop by his office alone before dinner."

Harry entered Albus's office without knocking. By now he was able to tell if anyone besides the headmaster was inside. As he walked into the room he saw that Albus was sitting in front of the fire instead of behind his desk. Harry took the seat across from Albus and waited for him to begin.

"I trust you have enjoyed your summer?" the headmaster asked.

Harry thought for a moment. He had never actually enjoyed a summer since he started at Hogwarts, or before really, "It was better than any other," he conceded.

"Harry, I feel the need to apologize again. I was too concerned with keeping you safe last year that I forgot why I was keeping you safe," Albus said.

"I forgave you even before I realized it," Harry said sadly. "I don't think I'll ever forget it, but I don't blame you anymore."

"The castle will change tomorrow," Albus said. "You are always welcome here, but you will be very busy. I would like it if you came here every Sunday after dinner."

"For occlumency lessons?" Harry asked. He had thought his lessons with Albus were complete.

"Those will continue with Severus. We can work on that if you wish, just talk, or sit and do our own work," Albus explained. "The rooms you are currently using will also remain yours for whenever you need a place of your own."

Harry nodded slowly. He hadn't expected Albus to put aside time in his busy schedule just to sit with Harry. Again he was touched by the headmaster's gesture.

"What I regret more than anything was leaving you on your own last year," Albus said. He handed Harry a small, pocket-sized book, "This is enchanted so that anything you write in it appears in its partner book, and anything written in the partner will appear in this book. It will grow warm when a message appears. I would like you to carry it at all times, as I will carry its partner."

Harry took the book. It was bound in red dragon hide and his name was embossed on the cover in gold script, Gryffindor colors. He traced the letters with his hand and slid the book into a pocket.

"Will any charms I add affect the enchantment?" Harry asked.

"They shouldn't. Why don't you try something?" Albus suggested.

Harry took the book back out of his pocket and drew his wand from its holster. He concentrated on making the book open only for him and tapped it with his wand. The book opened and closed for him with no difficulties.

"Try to open it," he handed it to Albus. The headmaster could not open the book. He tossed it back to Harry.

"Very good, though it is a simple charm to break. I suggest another that enables the words to be read only with a password, similar to the Marauder's Map," Albus said, eyes twinkling.

Harry grinned, "In that case I may remove the other charm. Did you ever hear about the time the map insulted Severus?"

Both pairs of eyes twinkled in anticipation of an amusing story.

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

When Professor Jameson came into dinner he sat down next to Harry and discreetly slipped him the Marauder's Map under the table. Harry had a sudden urge to ask why he needed the Map, but figured he would find out if it was something good. He was not disappointed.

"So Harry, when was the last time you tackled a boggart?" Jameson asked.

Harry looked up to answer but was distracted. Snape's hat had transformed to the stuffed vulture hat that Mrs. Longbottom wore. It changed back only seconds later.

"The last one I saw was at, er, with Mrs. Weasley. It was taking on forms for her and Professor Lupin got rid of it," Harry answered.

"I have a theory about boggarts," Snape's hat changed again and was noticed by more people at the table this time. Jameson acted as though he didn't see a thing and continued speaking, "As our fears change over time, so would the form a boggart takes for us. Remus told me your boggart takes the form of a dementor? I imagine it is possible to use a boggart to identify and conquer your fears, possibly reaching to point of seeing the boggart in its true form."

"Er, ah, yes, it does," Harry replied, still distracted. Each time Jameson said boggart Snape's hat changed. There was some stifled giggling from the other professors. Snape was looking irritated, as he had no idea what was happening.

"After you learned to fight the dementors, would you say they are still your greatest fear?" Jameson asked.

"I don't know," Harry replied thoughtfully. He thought about dementors and instantly associated the thought with his patronus, Prongs. "I don't think they are."

"Perhaps we could find a boggart," this time the laughter went unchecked. "We can use the boggart," Snape's expression hardened as he realized that whatever the joke was it was on him, "to identify your current greatest fear and then work to eliminate that fear. Albus, do you know where any boggarts currently reside in the castle?"

"Argus may know of a boggart," Albus replied. "The last boggart I remember was in the prefect's lounge two years ago."

Snape had conjured a mirror on the wall opposite him and was glaring at Jameson by that time. "How long will this last?" he asked through gritted teeth.

Jameson finally joined the laughter, "It will be gone by the time everyone gets here for the meeting tonight. Do learn to laugh at yourself Severus. Life is so much more fun when you do."

Snape stood and began to stalk out of the great hall.

Jameson called after him, "Don't bother to change your hat. I charmed them all!"

After Snape left Harry detected a new presence entering the hall. It was mildly familiar, but he did not immediately identify it. Not until the person spoke did Harry realize why the hall had gone silent, the earlier mirth entirely gone.

"I am here to speak with Professor Dumbledore and Harry."

Harry spun in his seat to see Percy Weasley standing with his head bowed in the entrance to the great hall. Harry looked to Albus, who was examining Percy thoughtfully. The headmaster stood and motioned for Harry to join him.

Harry leaned over to Hermione, "I'll fill you in later."

They passed Percy, who turned to follow them. Harry noticed that Percy was not walking with his usual haughty step. He seemed broken, much like Harry had felt at the beginning of the summer. The three of them entered the headmaster's office in silence and Harry recalled the last time Percy was in that room. He had been there in an attempt to expel Harry from Hogwarts and arrest Albus. The thought of that evening broke through Harry's surprise at seeing Percy and brought forth the anger he had for the red haired man.

Harry sat in his usual chair and Albus sat behind his desk. Harry looked over the headmaster and saw that the twinkle was absent from his eyes and his mouth was set in a hard line. He remained silent, and Harry followed suit, waiting for Percy to explain his visit. Percy sat in the only remaining chair and looked rather uncomfortable.

"I know I have to see my family, but I know that most of why they are mad at me stems from my treatment of you Professor, and Harry. I figured I owed you both an apology before I try to make amends with my family," Percy said slowly as though the words pained him.

Harry turned in his seat to look at Percy. He was careful not to let his expression show the relief Percy's words brought him. Harry had blamed himself somewhat for the dissention in the Weasley family, as they were divided based on support of him and Albus. Neither Harry nor Albus responded to Percy.

"I'm sorry," Percy said. "I'm sorry for not believing you and for everything I did last year. I was misled, and I paid for my mistakes."

Harry looked at Albus, who gave him the slightest nod. Harry knew that most of the apology was for him.

Harry stood and faced Percy, "I suppose the sorting hat was right after all. It took a lot of courage to come here, though it will take more to face the twins, and then there's Ginny." Percy looked up at Harry and Harry saw that his eyes were moist and there were dark circles under his eyes. "For my part, I accept your apology."

Harry extended his hand and Percy shook it. Harry remembered a day in the Leaky Cauldron and grinned. "Absolutely spiffing to see you Percy," Harry adopted an overly fake proper tone.

Percy smiled wanly, also remembering that day.

"Your family will be stopping by later this evening Percy," Albus said. "If you wish you may remain here to see them. I believe they will all be here." Percy paled, but nodded. "Excellent. I suggest you accompany Harry back to the hall and I will make sure they get here earlier than they intended."

Harry took that as dismissal and led Percy out of the headmaster's office and back towards the great hall. Percy was still very quiet.

"Why the change of heart Percy?" Harry asked.

Harry saw Percy swallow before speaking, "I should have believed you to begin with. Minister Fudge was using me to get to Dad," he spoke in barely more than a whisper. "I didn't see it until the truth about Dolores Umbridge came out. Madame Bones stopped by my office and, well, we had a talk. She had quite a few howlers from parents and had seen some of the evidence herself. The Minister tried to say I had recommended her, but Madame Bones wouldn't here any excuses from him luckily. Historically, the Minister has very little control over Law Enforcement as he is a political figure. The Wizengamot decides on the Head of Law Enforcement."

Harry was astonished. It seemed he owed Hermione another apology. Her actions at that Order meeting had brought this about. He almost didn't notice Percy pull a roll of parchment out of his robes and hand it to him. Harry took it and opened it up. His heart dropped into his stomach and his mouth went dry when he began to read.

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

"I - I'm sorry about Black," Percy said stiffly. "He's not exonerated yet, as there's no proof, but I've heard the rumors. It looks like they've been more accurate lately than the official party line."

There were two pieces of parchment. The first was a copy of a Certificate of Death for Sirius Black. The second was a copy of Sirius's will. He had left everything to Harry, though the house on Grimmauld Place had to stay in the Black family and went to Draco Malfoy as next male of the Black line. Harry hastily rolled them back up and shoved them in a pocket. He didn't want to deal with that just now.

Hermione was waiting outside the great hall and Percy flinched under the force of her glare. Harry stepped between them and Hermione's expression shifted to surprise.

"He came to apologize 'Mione," Harry said softly as he leaned towards her. "Imagine what would have happened if we hadn't given someone else a chance to explain himself two years ago."

Hermione nodded, "In that case, have you eaten Percy? Harry certainly has not had what one could call dinner yet."

She turned and walked into the great hall. Harry groaned at her comment on his eating habits and went in after her, followed by a slightly amused Percy. The three sat down at the Gryffindor table, now in place in anticipation of the arrival of the student body the next day, and Hermione ordered up a significant amount of food for Harry and Percy.

"Harry, mate, what gives?" Fred's voice called from the entrance hall. "Dumbledore Flooed us at the store and told us to see you in the great... Merlin! What is that tosser doing here?"

"Harry, you do know you're sitting next to the world's greatest git, don't you?" George added.

Percy's gaze turned to Harry and fear flashed across his face. Both twins had their wands steadily pointed at Percy.

"Don't look to me," Harry said. "You're on your own with all red-haired wizards and witches. Consider it penance. Oh, and beware Ginny's Bat Bogey hex. That girl is powerful." Harry turned away from Percy and stuffed a roll in his mouth. He swallowed and then turned to Hermione and whispered, "Shields if they get too hex happy."

Percy stood and faced his brothers, noticeably shaky, "Fred... George –"

"Ya hear that?"

"Are you George?"

"You must be Fred!"

"Wow, we have names!"

"It's been a while since we heard them, mind."

"Right, so I could be George."

"True. I might be Fred."

"Maybe we're actually Gred and Forge."

"Perhaps we should wear nametags."

"It could help."

"Not just for us, but others as well."

Harry and Hermione were laughing at the twins' antics while Percy stood with his eyes wide. While the twins were very good at exacting revenge, it appeared that they were also able to forgive readily. Harry flicked out his wand and conjured flashing signs above Fred and George's heads with their names and arrows pointing down.

"Nice work Harry," Fred commented while applauding.

"How long do they last?" George asked, trying to banish his brother's sign.

Harry grinned and bowed, "Only until I remove them."

Six more red-heads walked into view behind Fred and George and halted once they saw Percy. No one gave the flashing name signs a second glance as such things were expected around the twins.

"Mum? Dad?" Percy said quietly.

Mrs. Weasley crossed the dividing space in a flash and crushed Percy in a great hug. For once Harry saw a Weasley being hugged without struggling to escape from Mrs. Weasley's smothering grasp. Percy was holding Mrs. Weasley with nearly as much force as she held him. He heard Hermione sniff behind him and saw the other Weasleys step forward cautiously.

Arthur pried Molly off Percy, "Now Molly, you've assured yourself he's whole and really here. You don't need to suffocate the poor boy. I think we all need to have a seat." Harry and Hermione started to stand but had Weasleys at their sides immediately pushing them back down. "You two stay. You're members of this family now."

Percy, sitting beside Molly as she would not let him out of reach, slowly told his story. He began with what he had told Harry, only in more detail. He then related to his family his actions of the past year, occasionally with red-faced embarrassment. Nearly all their suspicions about Fudge were confirmed in those hours.

As the end of Percy's story was approaching, professors began to come in but immediately turned and exited the hall again. Percy started to look confused at the traffic. Harry and Arthur exchanged a look and Harry stood, "I think I'll go suggest that Albus holds the staff meeting somewhere else tonight."

As he stepped outside the hall Harry saw that nearly the entire Order was assembled and whispering to each other, "Hi," he said quietly. "Um, is there another room good for a meeting?"

"What is going on in there?" Professor McGonagall asked. "Why is Ginny Weasley here?"

"The prodigal son returns," Albus announced as joined the assemblage, eliciting several raised eyebrows. "We shall adjourn to the staffroom this evening. I will have to consider another room to use once the students arrive. Harry, may I have a quick word?"

The Order members followed the Hogwarts staff members up the stairs and out of sight.

"What do you think of Percy's return?" Albus asked.

Harry bit his lower lip and looked back towards the great hall. The energy inside the room was harmonious, all of it melding together, "I want to trust him again, but it's almost too good to be true. He's given us a wealth of information in the past ninety minutes, some of which we've been trying to find out for months apparently. We should welcome him back, but not into the Order yet, not yet."

"I agree," Albus said as he nodded thoughtfully. "Pass the decision on to Arthur or Molly discreetly. I will talk to you later this evening."

Harry nodded and returned to the great hall. Before he left Albus, he pressed the rolls of parchment into the older wizard's hands and posed the one question he had, "Albus, how did Percy know I'm staying at Hogwarts?"

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

Please Review!

ooOoo


	14. Chapter 14

**Changes**

**Part Fourteen**

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

The Order, grown greatly in numbers since the official announcement of Voldemort's return, was slightly cramped in the staffroom. The members present were only those that attended strategy meetings. Albus had many other wizards and witches doing research and in the field. Professors immediately went to their usual seats out of habit. Minerva nodded to Filius and the two of them enlarged the room slightly, made the table smaller, and conjured some extra chairs.

Albus was the last to enter the room. He began the meeting immediately, "As many of you saw the Weasleys, Harry, and Hermione will not be joining us this evening. Percy Weasley arrived as dinner was ending and apologized both to Harry and myself. He is currently being reunited with his family and apparently is providing quite a bit of Ministry information. Percy's confidence in the Ministry has been greatly shaken."

Several eyebrows were raised, and some looks of confusion were assuaged by whispered explanations from neighbors. While the newer members were caught up on the Weasley family saga Minerva watched Albus read the parchment he had carried into the room with him. As he read she thought she saw a tear fall down his cheek, only to be lost in his long beard.

He handed the parchment to her when he finished, as she sat at his right hand. The first parchment caused a lump in her throat. Too many of her students had died at too young an age. The second, though, brought forth a gasp. All faces turned in her direction.

"Merlin, the _entire_ Black fortune!" she whispered. "He's wealthier than the Malfoys by far now!"

"Minerva?" Victoria Longbottom asked.

Albus answered for her, "Along with whatever information he is giving his family now, Percy gave these papers to Harry. Sirius has been declared officially deceased, and his will activated. Harry is his sole heir, with the exception of a few small bequeaths that are not listed here. Those were only verbal requests left in my possession as they could not be committed to paper for fear of compromising some people."

There was silence as everyone in the room quickly did the math in their heads. The holdings of the oldest wizarding families were no secret. Most everyone in the room knew the general amount of wealth that both the Potter and Black families had in Gringotts. They also knew the size of the Malfoy, Longbottom, Snape, MacMillan, Dumbledore, Diggory, Bones, Parkinson, Zabini, Weasley and McTavish holdings along with several others. It was one of the prime indicators of status in the wizarding world and until that time the Malfoys had held the lead for several generations.

"This changes everything," someone breathed into the silence.

"Dear cousin Narcissa will be breathing fire," Tonks said with a satisfied grin. "Fudge will be kneeling at Harry's feet for forgiveness once this is public."

"Does Harry even know what this means?" a voice asked.

Albus smiled fondly, "He has never seen the extent of the Potter fortune, nor has he asked about it. The only vault he has access to currently is the one his parents set up for him upon his birth and he most likely believes that is all he has. It is more than adequate to see him through Hogwarts and even several years after. I will discuss the magnitude of this situation with him later this evening."

Minerva noted the surprise on Severus's face in particular. He had always complained of Harry, saying the boy was spoiled and pampered. All his preconceptions were being destroyed one by one this summer. The next year would be very interesting to watch.

Remus and Harry Jameson were both grinning and looked like they were barely containing laughter. They were whispering to each other, no doubt talking about Sirius.

"Padfoot always loved to cause a stir," Remus said aloud wistfully.

The details of protection for the Hogwarts Express the next day were discussed at length. Madame Bones had given Kingsley free reign and allowed him as many aurors as he deemed necessary. There were to be six aurors per train car, and two Order members aboard the train. Alastor Moody and Remus Lupin had volunteered as they were both known to the students, and also somewhat feared in case of trouble.

After Kingsley's report the Law Enforcement members of the Order had to leave, as more attacks were expected that evening. So far the attacks had all been on the homes of muggle-born students, or students with muggle-born parents. The other students who fell into that category had all been quietly identified by the Order's inner circle and their homes were being monitored. The homes of several pure-blooded students whose families were seen as muggle sympathetic were also being watched. Every student who had participated in the DA had an Order member assigned to them until they returned to Hogwarts.

Severus had nothing new to report. He only could say that he thought Voldemort was questioning his loyalty. Revealing some information to the Death Eaters through Severus was discussed, but there was no truly sensitive information to reveal apart from the prophecy itself. As Albus would not even tell the Order what it entailed, it was highly unlikely he would allow it to be released. In the end it was decided that Severus could mention to Narcissa Malfoy that Harry had inherited the Black fortune, to share her reaction with them if nothing else.

The remainder of the discussion focused on Percy Weasley. Those who worked at the Ministry, and the professors who taught him, had their say in regards to his personality and reliability. Minerva was suspicious of Percy's motives. Though he had been a Gryffindor, she had thought several times that his ambition was sufficient for sorting into Slytherin. No Weasley would have survived a week in that house, though.

The common consensus was to be wary where Percy was concerned. Not one person at the table trusted him to be acting for anything other than personal gain. Albus related his conversation with Harry before the meeting and Minerva was once again proud of Harry for his growing maturity. There was speculation as to how Percy found out that Harry was at Hogwarts, and the majority opinion was that one of the Death Eaters in the Ministry had leaked it and the news had spread.

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

"You do know that you are back to Mr. Potter this evening," Snape said coldly.

Harry smiled angelically at the Potions Master, "And you are back to being the slimy, greasy git."

Jameson, sitting next to Snape, almost choked on his porridge. Albus chuckled lightly next to Harry. Harry just blinked his eyes innocently and continued to smile at Snape.

"You are supposed to be teaching him to defend himself, not giving lessons on annoying me," Snape snarled at Jameson. "Not that he would need them."

"Oh I had nothing to do with this, some talents are natural Severus," Jameson replied. "He's just discovering how much worse your bark is than your bite."

Snape growled something about having no control and cut his omelet viciously.

While waiting for the welcoming feast Harry moved his belongings to Gryffindor tower. He was thankful for his new trunk, as all the clothes Tonks had bought him along with his new books would never had fit in his old trunk with his other belongings. When the Weasleys went to Diagon Alley they had purchased whatever Harry needed for the school year. With his trunk placed at the foot of his bed, his robes hanging in his wardrobe, and his books for the year neatly arranged on his shelf, Harry went down to the common room and lit a fire.

It was strange to have Gryffindor Tower completely to himself. The silence was eerie. There was no testing of Weasley Wizard Wheezes in a corner, no gossiping girls, no charms or transfiguration practice. Harry's thoughts went back to the previous night. Ginny had pressed an envelope into his hand as the Weasleys were leaving. He pulled it out of his pocket and lifted the flap. Inside was a folded piece of parchment and a photograph.

The photograph was obviously taken at Grimmauld Place. Harry remembered the exact timing. It had been shortly after his trial, during one of the many celebrations of his innocence. Harry was standing between Ron and Hermione. His arms were around each of their waists and they had their arms around his shoulders. Behind them stood Sirius and Remus. Sirius had his hand on Harry's shoulder and his other arm draped over Remus's shoulders. All five of them were grinning at Ginny's camera.

_Harry,_

_I developed this roll of film at the beginning of the summer, but hesitated sending this to you. I did not know if you were ready to see reminders of Sirius yet. You all look so happy here that I had to give it to you. This is how Sirius would want you to remember him. Remember Harry, we are all your family and we love you._

_I'll see you at Hogwarts._

_Take care_

_Ginny_

Harry looked at the picture again. The picture Sirius squeezed the picture Harry's shoulder and looked down at him fondly. The picture Ron raised his hand behind the picture Harry's head and formed a 'V' with his fingers. Picture Sirius stifled laughter and picture Remus cuffed picture Ron's head. Picture Hermione gave picture Ron a stern look and picture Harry watched them all and smiled.

But as he continued to watch picture Sirius looked off away from the group and the smile faded from his face. He looked down at picture Harry and that haunted look that Azkaban had put in his eyes returned. Picture Remus would catch this out of the corner of his eye and give picture Sirius a light punch on the arm or do something to get his attention and the smile came back. Harry traced his finger down the picture, wishing there was a spell that would at least let him talk to the picture Sirius.

Harry sighed and tucked the picture into an inside pocket of his Gryffindor robes. He walked up to his dorm and looked around. Ron's bed had the newest curtains, the only thing he had that was newer than anyone else's. They had been replaced after Sirius slashed them in their third year.

Harry's Firebolt was propped against the wall beside his bed. The photo album from Hagrid was on his nightstand. The pocketknife that Sirius had given him was in his nightstand drawer, despite the fact that the lock-picking blade had melted. Harry couldn't bring himself to throw it out or replace it. There were a few defense books that Sirius had given Harry. Everywhere he looked something reminded Harry of his godfather.

There was a 'POP' and four trunks appeared at the foot of the other beds. The Hogwarts Express had arrived. Harry fingered the chain under his shirt and held onto his parents' rings for a moment before running down the stairs. He could almost see Sirius's face in the fire of the common room. The pain was deep, but Harry would not allow the tears to come.

"Miss you Padfoot," Harry whispered before he opened the portrait and left the common room.

Harry arrived outside the great hall just before McGonagall led the first year students inside. He nodded in her direction and smiled as the first year students murmured and strained to get a peek at him.

"Hurry along Mr. Potter," McGonagall smiled. "You haven't got all day."

In response to his name, the first years tried even harder to see him and talked excitedly amongst themselves. The ones in the back of the crowd were rising up on their toes to look over the others' heads.

"Yes Professor McGonagall," Harry grinned and turned to the first years. "Hope to see some of you in Gryffindor."

The excited whispering increased and McGonagall gave Harry a tight smile. He opened the doors to the great hall and strode inside. All eyes turned to him as he walked to the Gryffindor table.

"He is short enough to be a first year," Malfoy said loud enough for his voice to be heard across the hall.

Harry rolled his eyes as he sat between Ron and Hermione, not bothering to even glance in Malfoy's direction or lower his voice, "Please, he has what, one or two inches on me?"

Any further conversation was interrupted by the arrival of the first year students and the sorting. Gryffindor got a disproportionately large number of students that year. Harry guessed it was due to his greeting of them before the sorting. From the pointed look and smile he got from McGonagall he knew she was thinking the same. Harry reminded himself to have a chat with the sorting hat the next time he was in Albus's office.

Ginny and Colin, the new prefects to the horror of many, led the first years up the Tower. Harry, Ron, and Hermione lingered behind to let the hall empty out. Before they were able to go, an entourage of students from Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw, with Justin Finch-Fletchley at the lead, stopped them.

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

"I wanted to thank you," Justin said. "If it wasn't for the DA..." he trailed off.

Harry nodded in understanding, "I know. I hear you did very well defending your family. I just wish it hadn't been necessary to begin with."

"What do you know about the new defense professor?" Terry Boot asked.

"He's Dumbledore's great-nephew," Harry said seriously. "He's good. I've been here for awhile and he's been giving me lessons."

"A bunch of us talked on the train. We think," Hannah Abbott said, "all of us do, that the DA should continue regardless. We learned more from you than any teacher so far."

"Do you all still have your galleons?" Harry asked and was answered by nods. "I'll let you know when the first meeting is, same place. No new members for our first meeting. We'll discuss anything like that then."

Harry looked across the hall just before they left to see the calculating look on Draco Malfoy's face. Harry looked him in the eye, carefully keeping his face free from emotion, and then left the great hall.

"Where have you two been?" Harry was yanked into the common room by Katie Bell. "We're having a quick team meeting."

"But I'm banned..." Harry reminded her.

"McGonagall got it lifted," Katie told him and Harry felt like jumping with joy. "Now get your arse over there!"

"Just one minute Katie," Harry said. He turned to Hermione and Ron. "Could you two get everyone out of the dorms? I want to say something to all of Gryffindor."

Once the common room held every Gryffindor student Harry climbed up on a table to address them all. To his disgust he still was only a few centimeters taller than Ron that way. He needed a higher table.

"As you all know the Ministry has formally acknowledged the return of Tom Riddle, more commonly known as Voldemort," a collective flinch and several gasps traveled across the room. A couple of first year students, probably muggle-born, looked confused. "Over the summer Gryffindor lost one of our own in the second war against Riddle. I would like a moment of silence in remembrance of Elizabeth Johansen and our lost friends from other houses." Harry bowed his head.

He heard some sniffles, most likely from Bethy's roommates. After a few moments he lifted his head and saw the entire house watching him silently, in anticipation. "I know some of you doubted me last year, but none of that matters. I don't want to see anyone singled out. Gryffindor is a family, our family, and you are the best family I have ever had. If anyone here needs help in any way I expect everyone else to pitch in.

"We have some hard times ahead of us, but we will get through them together. Alone we may be vulnerable, but together we are strong. Riddle is a terrible foe, but he has chosen the wrong people to mess with. We will not let the darkness win!"

Several shouts of agreement were heard.

"I have one final thing to say. My first year at Hogwarts, I was told that not a wizard went bad who wasn't in Slytherin. That is wrong. My parents were betrayed by one of their best friends... and he was a Gryffindor," Harry looked around at the shocked reaction and let his words sink in before continuing. "There are Death Eaters from every house, even if the majority was in Slytherin, and there are Slytherins fighting the darkness. If not all Gryffindors are good, it stands to reason that not all Slytherins can be bad. Be brave and courageous, as a Gryffindor should, and give them a chance.

"I'm not saying you should all make friends with Malfoy, Merlin forbid," the majority of the common room laughed at that, "but there must be some Slytherins who are undecided or who support Dumbledore. Give them a chance to be who they want to be, not who we expect them to be."

Harry jumped off the table and began crossing the room to join the quidditch team at a table in the corner. He saw Hermione start clapping out of the corner of his eye. Harry froze in place as the applause traveled around the room and echoed off the stone walls until every student there was clapping and cheering. He heard Seamus whistle and Ginny yell his name. A small pair of arms wrapped around him and Harry looked down to see a second-year girl with blond braids.

"Bethy was my best friend," she said through tears. "Thank you."

Harry returned her hug and she left the common room along with the rest of the younger students, headed for bed. Harry sat down with the quidditch team and took a deep breath.

"So, what's up Katie?"

"McGonagall named me captain. I want Harry and Ron to act as my assistants so they can take over next year. Ginny already said last year that if Harry's ban got lifted she wanted to switch to chaser. That leaves us with one spot to fill," she announced. "Tryouts are Thursday night after dinner and I want you all there. We managed to win the cup last year even after everything that happened. I don't see any reason that we can't win this year."

As was usual Harry could not sleep that night. He sat in the common room, long after it had emptied of other students, in front of the blazing fire. He wasn't sure what had possessed him to make that speech, except that he knew he needed the support of his house that year. He rubbed the back of his right hand in a subconscious gesture.

"You okay?" a voice asked.

Harry turned, "Hey Ginny. What are you doing up?"

She shrugged and sat down next to him, "Leah snores. I was already having trouble falling asleep so I thought I'd come down here for a bit."

"Thanks for the picture," Harry said softly.

Ginny turned to face him, "Harry, do you mind if I try something?"

"That depends on what it is," he smiled. "I've learned never to trust a Weasley who asks a question like that."

Ginny leaned in and kissed him. Harry kissed back automatically and his brain barely had time to catch up with what was happening when he saw she sitting back again with a soft smile.

"Uh, Ginny, I, um," Harry wasn't quite sure what to see. He saw Ginny as more of sister, not a potential girlfriend.

"It's okay Harry. I just had to make sure," she said with a smile. "Still friends?"

Harry nodded his head, "Yeah Ginny, still friends." He stood and headed towards the dormitory, "G'night Gin."

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

Please Review!

ooOoo


	15. Chapter 15

**Changes**

**Part Fifteen**

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

Minerva entered Gryffindor Tower early on the first morning of class. She expected every student to be asleep and was not looking forward to entering the sixth-year-boys' dorm and waking one of its occupants. When she stepped into the common room there was a lone figure in his Gryffindor robes standing at the window with his back to her.

"I should have known," she said quietly, "when Albus sent me to get you."

Harry turned and looked at his Head of House with an indecipherable expression. She detected some sadness around him, but it was well buried and hidden.

"I thought Albus might want to see me," Harry responded. "We haven't had a chance to talk since the Weasleys were here."

"You might want to leave a note for your friends," Minerva suggested. "We'll probably have breakfast in the headmaster's office."

Harry nodded and pulled some parchment and a muggle pen from his robes. He jotted something down, folded the parchment, and tapped it with his wand. The parchment disappeared and he looked up at Minerva, blinking innocently.

"I never should have used that spell in front of you," she moaned.

"Don't worry," he responded with a sly grin. "I won't pass the knowledge around. It will be interesting to see 'Mione trying to figure out how I got a note onto her nightstand, though."

Minerva just shook her head and walked out of the common room with Harry following. Sometimes it was too easy to forget that the boy was still just that, a boy. Every now and then his natural teenage tendencies shined through the adult mask he wore.

"The spell was in one of the books the Marauders kept. They used it all the time," Harry explained as they walked through the still halls. "Oh, and you were right. They were the ones who enchanted your classroom to smell like catnip. It was designed to fade gradually over the course of a few days."

A laugh of surprise escaped Minerva's lips, "I had forgotten all about that one!" She grinned evilly, "Remus is definitely getting some chew toys in his stocking this Christmas."

The laughter she expected from Harry didn't come. She turned to see him standing right outside the entrance to Ravenclaw, a serene expression on his face. She wouldn't put it past him to know where the other Houses were located. He probably was second only to Albus in knowledge of the castle now that the twins were gone.

"Harry?"

He didn't open his eyes, "It's amazing Minerva. This is Ravenclaw, right?" He didn't wait for a response, "They're all still asleep. They feel... different than the Gryffindors, less chaotic. I'm going to have to block this unless I want to go crazy."

Minerva watched him in awe. She had seen him react to others approaching, but this was a demonstration of that talent on a much larger scale. All the Houses were warded so no sound escaped into the corridors, lest their locations be unveiled. Each Head of House was able to construct other wards and she knew Filius had many layers up just because he loved trying new wards.

Harry shook his head and brushed his fingers through his hair, leaving it no neater than before. He smiled and started walking towards Albus's office again. Minerva followed, trying to think of some way she could help Harry. She knew it was useless. He would deal with all his pain in time.

"Harry, did you read Sirius's will?" Albus asked.

Harry looked out the window and nodded, "He left me everything except Grimmauld Place."

"On paper that is true," Albus said. He pulled out his pensieve and placed it on his desk. "Sirius made a few requests that he could not put on paper, in case he died before his name was cleared. The contents of the Black vaults have already been transferred to your vaults. The vault you can currently access is the one your parents created for you on your birth. The others will be available to you on your seventeenth birthday. As per Sirius's request a large sum has been put in your current vault."

Minerva watched Harry's head snap back to the headmaster. There was a flash of pain on his face that was quickly replaced by a neutral expression. The occlumency lessons with Severus were teaching Harry to block much more than just intrusions on his mind. He extended his wand and dipped it into the pensieve.

Albus looked to Minerva while Harry was viewing the memory and held out some letters for her, "Can you make sure these get to their addressees? It will make everything go much more smoothly."

Minerva nodded and pocketed the letters, addressed in Sirius's hand, as Harry came back to his surroundings. She knew he had been in a message from Sirius but there were no tears, no evidence of pain on his face.

"Do you have some parchment I can use Albus?" Harry asked.

Minerva watched as he wrote several letters to the goblins at Gringotts. He made no attempt to hide what he was doing. He charmed his magical signature onto each letter for authentication and passed them to her and Albus to seal and secure. Minerva's eyes widened at the amount of galleons being transferred to the Weasley vault. The family would never have to worry about money again.

Albus secured the letters to Fawkes's leg and whispered to the phoenix, who then disappeared in a flash of fire.

"Now, the Order agreed with your assessment of Percy," Albus told Harry, assuming business mode. "Tell us what you learned from him."

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

"N.E.W.T. level Potions provides you with the opportunity to work with advanced and occasionally restricted potions, some of which are quite dangerous. I will tolerate no mistakes in this class," Snape said as he glowered at the class of sixth-years. "Some of you obviously do not belong in this class," he looked pointedly at Harry, "but managed to manipulate your way in. Potter!" he barked.

"Yes, sir?" Harry replied. He mentally berated himself for being distracted by the conversation he had with Albus before breakfast.

"Tell me the components of Veritaserum," Snape ordered.

Harry racked his brain, "Powdered asphodel, unicorn tail hair, essence of night blossom, phoenix ash, er..."

Snape had stalked over to Harry's table, "Pitiful Potter, 10 points from Gryffindor."

The Slytherins in the room snickered and the Gryffindors glared at them. The reactions of the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws varied. Harry made sure to glare at Snape, though he knew that Veritaserum was a late seventh year N.E.W.T. potion and none of them should be expected to know any of the ingredients

Hermione leaned over to whisper to him, "Careful Harry, you shouldn't have known even that much."

Snape spun around, "No talking in class Potter. Detention, at eight tonight."

Harry narrowed his eyes and ignored Malfoy's laughter. It was just the start of another year and the legendary animosity between Harry Potter and Professor Snape was in full swing. For the remainder of the lesson the class he brewed a healing potion from memory that they had learned the previous year. Harry bottled his, put an unbreakable charm on the flask, and brought it up to Snape's desk.

True to form, Malfoy faked clumsiness and knocked Harry's potion off Snape's desk.

"That's another failing mark for you Potty –"

"No, I've got it," Harry cut Malfoy off calmly as he bent down to pick up his unbroken flask. He placed it centrally on Snape's desk and returned to his seat. He could feel Malfoy's glare on his back and he packed up his books.

"N.E.W.T. level Charms begins with the study of conjuring, though you will not be learning complicated conjuring until next year..." Flitwick began his lecture.

Harry, having taught himself conjuring to a certain extent that summer, tuned out the professor and looked around the room. Professor Flitwick had been almost bursting with joy when he had started Harry's private lessons and discovered what Harry had already learned. It reminded Harry of the small man's pride at Harry's perfect summoning charm during the first task of the Triwizard Tournament. Many of their lessons were spent in discussion rather than work, Filius continually suggesting small ways Harry could improve his charms. The diminutive wizard had more stories for Harry about his mother, as she was his prize pupil.

The N.E.W.T. classes had members of all four houses. Lectures were taught to one large class, though there were different sections for the practical lessons. In Potions the sections had been assigned by Snape before classes began. Harry had found himself in the same section as Hermione and Malfoy. Ron was separated from his best friends, but didn't have to suffer from Malfoy's presence. Flitwick, along with McGonagall and Jameson had informed their students of a series of tests they would take that would determine their placement in sections.

That night, Harry dragged himself to the Potions classroom, unsure of what to expect. He knew that his public relationship with Snape had to be one of obvious hatred on both parts, but he wasn't sure how they would relate when alone. He had no idea what form his detention would take.

"Well Potter, I was sure you would be late seeing your usual disdain for the rules," Snape snapped upon opening the door to the classroom.

Harry glared at him and walked past him into the room. The door closed and Harry detected locking and silencing charms being set. He turned back to Snape and raised an eyebrow.

"Sit," Snape commanded. When Harry did he continued, "The headmaster wishes you to move into legilimency, now that your occlumency skills are sufficient."

Harry nodded and Snape sat opposite him. Harry took out his wand and, when Snape nodded, cast the spell. He tried to probe Snape's mind, but at the same time did not want to see the man's memories. He had had enough of them to last a lifetime. The last thing Harry wanted to see was another image of his father tormenting Snape. He felt himself easily repelled from Snape's mind and looked up at the Potions Master.

Snape had a peculiar look on his face, "You were holding back. Why?"

Harry looked into Snape's eyes and then looked down, "I don't want to see your memories."

Snape's eyebrows darted upwards but were quickly lowered as his face once again assumed its expressionless mask, "Do you realize what an advantage legilimency can be?"

"Having experienced the other side first hand, I do," Harry snarled. He fought back the anger from the previous year that rose in him and continued more calmly, "It feels, well, dirty... like rape would I guess." Harry didn't dare look at Snape's response to that comparison and its insinuation. "All of last year I felt vulnerable, and I hated you even more than I had before because of it."

"With your connection you will probably be able to see into the Dark Lord's mind as he saw into yours," Snape said darkly.

Harry shuddered at the thought, "I have seen more of that mind than I ever want to. I am going to kill that bastard, but I will manage it without feeling any more of what he feels if I possibly can."

Harry did not believe Snape's face could pale any further than it was, but it did, "You actually share his feelings, not just his thoughts?"

"You mean you don't?" Harry asked incredulously. All that time, he wondered how Snape could manage to experience Harry's worst feelings and still treat him the way he did.

"No. Legilimency turns another's mind into something like a pensieve. The caster sees what that person saw, and hears their thoughts, but does not get any other senses," Snape explained quietly. "Your connection with the Dark Lord must alter that."

"So you never felt...?" Harry asked quietly, hoping to get the answer he wanted.

Snape met his eyes and Harry thought he saw the only apology he would ever get, "Never, Harry."

Harry nodded. He contemplated the situation, "Can you block any memories of my father?"

Snape nodded. Harry raised his wand, sucked in a deep breath, and tried again.

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

Harry was already tired by the time quidditch practices arrived. Tryouts had gone smoothly, adding Robin Spinnett, Alicia's twelve-year-old little brother, as their new chaser. Harry and Snape snarled at each other in class, in the halls, basically whenever they met. Their performance was such that the school saw them as hating each other even more than in previous years. Draco Malfoy seemed to revel in the animosity between his rival and his Head of House, always inflaming it whenever the opportunity arose.

The morning of the second day of classes Errol delivered a letter to Ron and Ginny. Shortly after its arrival Harry found himself in the vice-like grip of the two youngest Weasleys. Molly had apparently followed Sirius's request and informed her children that the money now residing in their vault was a thank you from Harry for their years of care. The only Weasleys who knew where it really came from were Molly, Arthur, Fred, and George. The twins had also received a substantial amount to help in their business and a letter from Sirius, which Harry suspected had several prank ideas as it was the thickest of the bunch. The Gryffindor quidditch team would just be told their sum was from an anonymous donor who was a former player, although their reaction to a posthumous donation from Sirius Black would have been amusing.

Harry found his only relief from his stressful schedule in the air on his broom, in his weekly meetings with Albus, and in teaching the DA. His scar still itched constantly and he would sometimes get bursts of pain accompanied by some high emotion. At those times he would close himself off to the surrounding world and block out the connection. It took much more energy to block his connection to Voldemort than it did to block out Snape's surprise attacks, one of which had come during a potions class and resulted in a ruined potion and detention.

Harry continued the DA where he had left off the previous year. He had decided for the time being to keep the organization small, but encouraged all the members to pass their skills along to their friends. By October most of the members had managed to produce at least a silvery vapor and a few had a corporeal patronus.

Three and a half weeks before Halloween, on the night before Gryffindor's first game, Harry was putting the Room of Requirement back in order with Hermione. Ron was already feeling nervous about the game and had rushed back to the Tower to go over the plays.

"How are the lessons going?" Hermione asked.

Harry knew she was referring to his extra lessons, which had continued without her as Hermione was taking more classes than anyone else in their year. "Good. My animagus training is done. We have the paperwork to submit if someone finds out or if I kill Voldemort before then. My control is good. I can harness that energy now, sometimes even without stirring up my emotions. My battle skills are better, but..."

"Yes?" Hermione prompted. She placed a hand on his arm for support.

Harry wasn't sure he wanted to tell her what had been going through his mind lately. He had been learning how to defend himself, but not how to kill, and that was what he needed to learn. He still didn't trust Jameson completely. There was something that bothered him about that man, and he could never fully sense the professor's energy, even when he was trying. He had that sense almost completely blocked at all times due to the number of people in the castle.

"You know what I have to do eventually 'Mione," he said quietly, not looking at her. "I'm not being trained for it, probably because no one knows."

"Do you think you should tell the Order?" she asked. He knew without looking that she had scrunched her face up into her look of deep concentration on whatever problem she was analyzing.

"I don't know. What would be so bad about them knowing? It might even give them hope, knowing that some at least has the power to stop Voldemort. For that matter, what would be so bad if Voldemort knew?" Harry ranted. "If anything, it might protect me. No Death Eater would dare try to kill me if they knew that only Voldemort could. They're crazy, but not suicidal!"

"You may have a point Harry," Hermione said in her tone that indicated she was thinking very hard. "He would try to lure you out again."

Harry snorted, "I'm not falling for that again, and so long as I'm here or at the Dursleys' I'm safe."

"It would be a big risk Harry. Do you really think...?"

"I don't know! I hate keeping secrets! If you didn't know then Albus would be the only one I could talk to. He's like a father to me, probably more than Si –" Harry stopped, almost choking on his words. He could hardly believe what he had almost said.

Hermione's arms pulled him against her and she tucked his head against her shoulder. His arms hung motionless at his sides as he let her hold him. For some reason Hermione insisted on hugging him more and more lately. Gradually he was getting used to it, but it still confused him. Mrs. Weasley was the only other person who hugged him on a regular basis, now that Sirius was gone, and he only saw her at Order meetings.

He slowly wrapped his arms around her waist and relaxed into her hold, resting his forehead on her shoulder. It felt good, being this close to another person. The Dursleys had never shown Harry any affection. Harry suspected that his aunt had stopped carrying him as soon as he could crawl. Hermione moved her arms up to wrap around his neck. She slowly moved back and Harry found his face just centimeters from hers.

He wasn't sure who kissed who. It was a nice kiss, slow and soft. It wasn't wet, like with Cho, or an utter shock like Ginny's had been. Hermione's lips felt like flower petals against his. Suddenly his brain screamed at him, reminded him that this was his best friend he was kissing, reminded him that Ron had been in love her for almost two years.

They pulled apart and both looked away. They began to talk at the same time. Hermione put a finger to his lips to stop him and they both laughed.

"You first," Harry said, still not sure what he should say.

"I'm sorry Harry. I don't know what happened. I never should have..." she trailed off and bit her lip. Her eyes were moist.

"Hey, don't cry," Harry said and wiped her cheeks as the tears started to fall. "You don't want me to start calling you Cho, do you?"

She started laughing and Harry couldn't help but join in. Soon they had both collapsed onto the floor, all awkwardness from their kiss gone in the aftermath.

"You're my best friend Harry," Hermione said once they managed to stop. "I don't want anything to change that."

"Neither do I," Harry answered with a smile. "Besides, Ron would kill me."

"Why?" Hermione was getting angry. "What right does he have?"

Harry was laughing again, "He doesn't have any right, and he doesn't really need a reason. He just won't admit he's been in love for you since the Yule Ball."

"He has?" Hermione squeaked. "Really?"

"I think you're the only Gryffindor that hasn't figured that out. Come on," Harry tugged on her arm, "we're going to miss curfew if we stay here much longer."

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

Please Review!

ooOoo


	16. Chapter 16

**Changes**

**Part Sixteen**

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

Gryffindor had a spectacular win against Ravenclaw. Cho Chang was the Ravenclaw captain and was doing much better than she had the previous year but she was no match for Harry, especially with his concentration and focus improved from occlumency. Ron was in fine form and had learned his lesson. The jaunts from the Slytherins didn't affect his game at all and only a few goals got past him. 'Weasley is our King' was now an official Gryffindor song, much to the irritation of the Slytherins.

During the victory party Harry was a bit uncomfortable when he saw Hermione and Ginny giggling in a corner. When they saw him looking their way they both grinned and then burst into a fresh set of giggles. Harry was engaged in an in depth discussion of the various house seekers with Katie over bottles of butterbeer and didn't see Hermione pull Ron out of the common room. He did notice when they came back holding hands with Ron's face a medium shade of red.

Over the next week Harry found himself the subject of stares from many of the girls in his year, as well as the fifth-year and seventh-year girls. A new girl volunteered to help clean up after each DA meeting, now being held twice a week. Harry found himself the object of many light touches that made him beyond uncomfortable and heard giggles nearby constantly. When it got to the point that girls were frequently giving him light kisses on the cheeks he demanded an explanation from Hermione in the common room one night.

"Why is everyone kissing me?" he exploded as he walked into Gryffindor Tower, setting off more giggles.

Hermione pulled him to a corner table, followed by Ron, who was laughing at Harry's predicament. Harry had just returned from cleaning up after the DA with Lisa Turpin. She had given him a goodnight kiss on the cheek that lasted a bit longer than it should have.

"Lavender overheard me and Ginny talking and told everyone you're a great kisser," Hermione admitted.

"You kissed Ginny, too?" Ron demanded loudly, drawing the attention of several people near them.

"Calm down," Harry hissed and glared at the others until they minded their own business. "She kissed me, once, and that's it. We're not together, and we won't be. She's like a sister, like Hermione."

Ron visibly relaxed. Harry had never asked, but was glad to find out that Hermione had told Ron about their kiss. Harry buried his head in his hands.

"I don't need this," he moaned.

"But it's brilliant, mate!" Ron exclaimed. "You could have any girl you wanted!"

Harry looked up at Hermione desperately, "How could I date someone?"

"What do you mean?" Ron asked.

"Anyone who's close to Harry is a target Ron," Hermione explained softly, "not to mention front page news. He can't exactly date casually. Anyone who goes out with Harry is essentially risking their life and the lives of their family."

"And there's the added bonus that I might die on them," Harry grumbled darkly.

Ron winced, "C'mon mate, it's not that bad. How about a game of exploding snap?"

Harry grinned and let Ron distract him. They played cards and chess, ignoring their homework and the outside world. Though Hermione would normally nag them to get work done, Harry was surprised to see her smiling fondly at them when she looked up from her Arithmancy equations.

Two weeks prior to Halloween was the first Hogsmeade day. Harry ended up going through the village with several DA members, as Hermione and Ron were on their first official date. He had fun getting to know people from the other houses better, outside of lessons and studying. The group of them ate lunch in the Three Broomsticks and discussed classes and politics over butterbeer.

"Snape really has it in for you," Susan Bones commented.

The other Gryffindors at the table laughed. Neville spoke up, "Snape has hated Harry since our first day here."

"But why?" Justin asked.

Harry rolled his eyes, "My father and his friends used to play pranks on Snape and they never got along, kind of like me and Malfoy. One of the pranks went a little too far from what I've heard, so far that Snape, my father, and someone else almost were killed."

Several Order members were inconspicuously wandering Hogsmeade that day in small groups. Harry was glad he had been in on the planning or he would have been very frustrated with the invisible group that followed him everywhere he went. He could sense Alastor, Tonks, and Kingsley nearby, but the highly-skilled trio was not to be seen all day.

The twins' store was packed with Hogwarts students from opening to closing. Harry overheard one of the twins giving a younger Gryffindor advice on mayhem causing for potions class. He shook his head and wondered how long it would take for the third-year to get stuck scrubbing cauldrons at night.

Harry would have one of his last animagus lessons that night. He had finally managed to transform himself completely and was just working on the speed on the transformation. It wasn't until they were returning to the castle that Harry realized he had been holding hands with Susan Bones ever since lunch. He also noticed that the other students they were with had dropped back and left the two of them walking alone.

Harry walked Susan to the entrance of Hufflepuff House, down near the kitchens. They stood in an awkward silence for a few minutes.

"So are we, um...," she stammered.

Harry looked down at his feet and shrugged. He liked Susan, but what Hermione had said was true, "Susan, I'd like to, but..."

Susan was maybe just two centimeters shorter than Harry. She tilted his head up to look at her, "What is it?"

"You saw what the_ Prophet_ wrote about Hermione, and she wasn't even my girlfriend. Then there was that mess with Cho..."

"Harry, I don't care what the_ Prophet_ says. Everyone knows that paper is garbage now, especially after last year. I'm a Hufflepuff for a reason. No silly newspaper could turn me away from my friends," Susan said proudly.

Harry smiled, "Just promise me something."

"What?" she asked.

"Before we decide anything talk to your aunt. Be careful about what you write in a letter, and put as many security charms on it as you can. If you want to write more than what you'd be comfortable printing in the paper you can ask Dumbledore to send the letter for you. The password to his office this week is _Gargantuan Gummies_," Harry instructed.

Susan's eyes widened at the implications of what he said. She nodded in agreement and placed a chaste kiss on his lips before speaking the password and entering her common room. Harry felt a tingle down his spine and smiled at the closed portrait that was glaring at him.

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

Minerva saw Amelia Bones approach Harry before the Order meeting began. She saw a nervous expression flash across his face before he hid behind his constant mask again. Though he had learned quite a bit from Severus and Albus he was much slower at disguising his true feelings than the two older wizards. Minerva slowly made her way in their direction to eavesdrop, wondering what made Harry so nervous.

"I take it you know the contents of the letter I received from niece?" Amelia asked.

"Um, not really," Harry responded. "I suggested that she write to you, but I don't know what she wrote."

"I was surprised when Fawkes delivered her letter, but I saw why when I read it," Amelia said. Minerva could feel the nervous energy that was practically pouring off Harry. No doubt half the room was wondering what was going on. He was practically broadcasting his emotions. "Please deliver my response to her. To be quite honest I would be much more comfortable with Susan dating someone who is not a constant target, but I know you would never lead her into danger."

"Ma'am, I –"

"Amelia, Harry. We are colleagues here," Amelia laughed lightly.

"Amelia, I will deliver your letter tomorrow. If you wish to make any changes to it after the meeting I'll understand," Harry said mysteriously.

Amelia did not respond and Minerva suspected she was trying to read his face. Minerva was wondering what Harry and Albus had planned for this meeting. Neither one of them would tell her. She was glad that Harry was dating, especially as Ron and Hermione were a couple. The boy deserved at least something of a normal teenage existence. She smiled to herself.

"Harry, I admired your skill and power last year," Amelia said. "This year I observed that you have grown a great deal. Neither you nor Susan needs to ask my blessing or that of her parents. You will never be a normal teenager, but you are allowed to act like one now and then."

The nervous energy faded quickly and Harry said wryly, "I think I did enough of that last year."

"There is more to being a teenager than rebelling against authority and mood swings Harry. Reap the benefits of being young as much as you have the downside. Have some fun and let Susan help you out with that," Amelia ordered.

Minerva took a seat facing the two of them and saw Harry give the Head of Magical Law Enforcement a mock salute, "Yes Ma'am. Oh, and thank you for your meeting with the Minister and Percy. It was the last straw for him."

Amelia just smiled, ruffled Harry's hair, and took a seat at the table. Harry began to walk around the table but was intercepted by Molly Weasley and a fierce hug. After Sirius's wishes had been fulfilled the affection the Weasley family showed Harry had stepped up a notch and he was frequently hugged by the whole family instead of just Molly. Minerva was glad to see that Harry's reaction to the hugs was improving. He no longer stood stiff as a board, but he still didn't hug back anyone except Molly and Hermione.

Harry sat down next to Minerva and across from Amelia. Albus called the meeting to order and several members gave their reports. The Aurors present were starting to look haggard. They and the Ministry Obliviators had been working overtime ever since the first attacks. Death Eaters were raiding muggle neighborhoods with an alarming frequency. Severus had been kept very busy brewing healing potions for both Voldemort and Poppy.

"He's planning something big, probably for Halloween. There's something about that day that he likes," Severus sneered in disgust. "My sources say he might attack the Edinburgh Quarter or Diagon Alley. He has recruited a large number of foreign followers, but I don't think he has enough to attack either wizarding area. Of course, he is playing his hand very close. He could have far greater numbers than I suspect."

"Thank you Severus," Albus replied. "Every wizarding section is planning a celebration for Halloween to bring up the spirits of the community. An attack on one of those celebrations would be disastrous. This summer the wards of Hogwarts were extended to cover Hogsmeade with the exception of the anti-apparation and Portkey wards. The Death Eaters will not be able to attack there. Amelia, will you need reinforcements for the Aurors?"

Amelia leaned close to Kingsley, who had been promoted to her second-in-command. He had been sketching on the parchment in front of him and Minerva recognized the layout of Diagon Alley with various markings. The rest of the Order waited in silence.

"With the normal number of Aurors on duty at the Ministry and several teams guarding various neighborhoods we simply don't have the numbers to stop a large scale attack at either celebration. I can call on the Hit Wizards to supplement our numbers, and some Obliviators as well. Even then, any volunteers would be appreciated," Amelia stated.

Minerva noted the stress on the other woman's face. The number of Aurors had been cut significantly by her predecessor. Many veterans of the first war had been forced into retirement, like Alastor, and Amelia was recalling as many of them as possible. She had Alastor teaching classes to her trainees. Kingsley took down names as several people around the table volunteered for back-up duty.

Albus and Harry exchanged some silent communication that Minerva was unable to decipher. Harry nodded at Albus and leaned over to Ron and Hermione. He whispered something to the two of them and got up from the table. Hermione quelled Ron's protests and they followed Harry, stopping to gather the other members of the Weasley family. They all went into a room off the meeting room and Albus cast an extra silencing charm on the room.

"No doubt you are all curious as to the exit of the Weasleys, Hermione, and Harry," Albus said. "After much deliberation Harry has made a decision which was not at all easy. Some of you know that Hermione Granger is already aware of the wording of the prophecy. The Weasleys are no longer in this room because Harry does not wish them to know what I am about to relate to you."

Minerva saw that every eye in the room was glued to Albus. Severus looked stunned. The only sound that could be heard was his voice. Minerva was certain that they were all thinking the same as she was just then, did they actually want to know what the prophecy said?

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

Harry fidgeted, and he knew he was reverting to the same way he had felt after his name was pulled from the Goblet of Fire two years ago. He knew how the Weasleys would react to what he was about to tell them and that was why Hermione was there. They would question him, and he had no idea how to respond.

He felt a hand on his arm and saw Hermione standing next to him. The room had been set up for this meeting, with comfortable couches and a roaring fire not linked to the castle's internal Floo system. There was food and drinks on the low table surrounded by the couches. None of it had been touched, though, as the red-haired family was watching him expectantly.

Harry climbed onto the only unoccupied couch and pulled his knees up to his chest. Hermione sat down next to him and rubbed his back. He closed his eyes briefly and accepted the comfort she offered. He hadn't told her what was happening at the meeting that night but she had probably figured it out. When he opened his eyes again he had gathered himself and was in control of his emotions. No matter what happened he would stay calm.

Harry looked around at his surrogate family. Molly looked worried, and the expression was echoed on Arthur's face. Bill was calm and he nodded at Harry, most likely already aware of what was going on. Charlie and the twins were just curious. Ron looked a bit uncomfortable and Harry felt a bit guilty that Ron's girlfriend was sitting with him and comforting him as only she or Mrs. Weasley could.

Harry took a deep breath, "You are all aware that Albus told me the exact wording of the prophecy that Voldemort," almost everyone flinched, "was trying to steal from the Ministry. It was made before my birth and is the reason my parents went into hiding. When he attacked them he was trying to get me. They were just in the way."

Harry paused and saw what he said so far sink in. Ron was in shock. The twins wore darkened expressions, no doubt thinking of exactly what they would like to do to Voldemort. Charlie looked thoughtful and Bill's face was unchanged. Molly and Arthur were both looking very sad.

"The reason you are all in here is that Albus is telling the Order what the prophecy says. I wanted, no, I needed all of you not to know. I need people who will treat me the same as they always have. I will only tell you that the prophecy does not predict my death, but it does not guarantee that I will survive," Harry finished.

Bill was the first to respond, "Why is Albus telling the Order?"

"You all know that Severus's loyalty is in question," Harry started his explanation. "After tonight's meeting he will go to Voldemort without being summoned and tell him the prophecy. I'm not sure what he'll come up with for how he found out but it will probably be good knowing him."

"After all you went through last year, you're just delivering it to him?" Ron asked.

"I can't explain exactly why without telling you what the prophecy says. It took a while to convince Albus, but he said it was my decision to make. Anyway, while Voldemort was busy trying to get the prophecy at least he wasn't making any attacks," Harry answered firmly.

The twins got up and sat down on either side of Harry, sending Hermione to Ron's side. It was always strange being between the identical twins. They tended to complete each other's sentences and it was like being the net in a tennis match.

"So, mate..."

"...does this mean..."

"...you're staying here..."

"...for Christmas?"

"We'd be glad..."

"...to join you..."

"...and test some new products."

"Especially if..."

"...Snape is staying, too."

Harry grinned, "Yeah, I shouldn't be going further than Hogsmeade until I go back to the Dursleys for the summer." He knew he could always count on the twins to take any situation lightly.

After the initial surprise the Weasley family was the same as they had always been. Molly smothered Harry with hugs and the siblings joked around. Fred and George brought out some of their recent inventions and convinced Ron to act as a guinea pig, literally with one of them. Bill and Charlie offered suggestions for improving the jokes and the food on the table was devoured.

Harry and Hermione sat with Molly and Arthur and watched the chaos. Hermione nudged Harry's side, "So what's with you and Susan?"

Harry felt his face begin to color. "I don't know," he mumbled. He looked to side and saw that Molly and Arthur were trying to pretend they weren't listening.

"Hannah Abbott was asking me about it at dinner. Susan won't say a thing," Hermione said.

"We haven't decided anything," Harry squirmed in his seat. "What you said in the common room, about becoming a target, was right. I didn't think of that with Cho last year, not that it matters now," Harry snorted.

Hermione was about to say something when Remus poked his head in the door, "You can all come back now."

As they walked out Remus gave Harry a quick squeeze on his shoulder and smiled at him. The room was quiet as they joined the Order at the table again. Harry took the same seat next to McGonagall. Everyone at the table was watching him, some with hope, some with pity. Snape's gaze was calculating. Harry's Head of House leaned down to him.

"I promised last year I would do anything in my power to get you ready," she told him. "That promise still holds."

"Thanks," Harry whispered.

Amelia captured Harry's gaze from across the table, "The letter is fine the way it is."

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

Please Review!

ooOoo


	17. Chapter 17

**Changes**

**Part Seventeen**

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

The gossip that Harry Potter and Susan Bones were a couple spread like wildfire around the school. Harry never found out what the letter from Amelia to Susan said, but he assumed it was in his favor. Some discreet questions told Harry that Susan did not know about the Order. He didn't like lying to her, so he stretched the truth and told her he was meeting with Albus whenever he had an Order meeting. There were just many more people at the meetings than Susan thought.

The relationship was front page news within days of its beginning. Harry scowled and pushed his food away when he saw the headline. He didn't bother reading the story, as it was sure to be a repeat of whatever stories had previously been written about him, combined with whatever was circling the Hogwarts rumor mill all tied together with complete fabrications. When the paper made it to Susan she stood up, walked to the Gryffindor table, and kissed Harry in front of the entire hall. She finished her breakfast with the Gryffindors and made sure Harry ate.

Halloween came more quickly than Harry was expecting. The Order was still expecting an attack on one of the Halloween celebrations and had several reaction plans in place. Harry stopped by the entrance of Hufflepuff House to meet Susan before the feast. She stepped out of the portrait hole and hugged Harry, kissing him full on the lips. Harry stepped into her hold and deepened the kiss.

"You two can do that all you want later," Ernie McMillan said as he joined them in the corridor. "Now it's time for the feast!"

Harry heard giggling and stepped back from Susan, letting his left hand fall from her shoulder to grasp her hand. A group of third-year girls had stepped out of the common room and were watching the couple with unmasked curiosity.

Hannah and Ernie, the prefects for their year, shooed the girls away and the sixth-years waited for Justin. They stopped by Ravenclaw to pick up Erin Jordan, the little sister of Lee Jordan, a fifth-year who was dating Ernie. Harry was surprised to see that the usual tables were absent from the great hall. In their place were several smaller round tables, the same as there were during the Yule Ball.

Harry's eyes quickly assessed the room and he quickly led his group to a table in the corner where he could observe the whole room. They were quickly joined by Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Luna Lovegood. Harry did not take much part in the conversation, but that was normal. He saw that he was not the only student that looked apprehensive. Draco Malfoy was a bit paler than normal and was quiet at his table.

Harry leaned over to Hermione, who was sitting next to him, "Malfoy knows."

She casually looked around the room and nodded before rejoining the conversation about the winter holiday. It looked like quite a few students were staying at Hogwarts, more than usual. Everyone knew that Harry always stayed, except for last year when Arthur was in St. Mungo's, so he didn't bother to comment. Hermione and Ron were the only ones at the table who knew much about the Dursleys, and Harry was determined to leave it that way. Any time Susan had asked about them, Harry changed the subject.

Harry drummed his fingers on the table. Snape was not at the head table in case he was called. It would not look good for him to leave the great hall clutching his forearm in pain. Harry made eye contact with Albus and the headmaster allowed his worry to show for a moment. Harry's scar had been burning all evening and he touched it gently, receiving a nod in response from Albus. All of the professors looked a bit subdued, and Jameson's mask of indifference could rival Snape's typical bored expression.

Harry jumped in his seat when Susan kissed his neck and the rest of the table laughed, "We've been trying to get your attention for at least ten minutes. Where were you?"

Harry grinned, knowing it didn't reach his eyes, "Sorry Sue. I was just thinking. Halloween's never been good for me."

The lone fifth-year at the table looked confused, so the rest of the table began telling stories of their previous years. Ron told all about the troll in the girls' bathroom. Justin gave his version of the Chamber of Secrets story, finished by Ron and Hermione. Hannah reminded Erin about the Goblet of Fire. No one talked about the previous year, but the name 'Umbridge' was grumbled.

Erin looked amazed at the tales, "It sounds like your third year was fine."

Harry didn't answer, but kept his face unexpressive. He saw Hermione and Ron exchange a glance but neither of them spoke up. Neville also remained silent, and he and Luna were watching Harry quietly.

"Wasn't that the night Sirius Black broke into Gryffindor?" someone asked.

"Hey, whatever happened with him? Did the Ministry catch him?" Justin wondered.

Theories went back and forth. They said he was in hiding, afraid of Dumbledore. Harry was starting to get angry. Even in death Sirius couldn't get any peace.

"He's dead." Harry's gaze locked on Neville, who had quieted the table with two words. "I saw him die in the Ministry in June. He was trying to save us." Neville's gaze darkened, "Belletrix Lestrange killed him."

"But... why would he...," Susan stammered. "Isn't she his cousin?"

"Yes, she was," Harry growled. "He was innocent. Peter Pettigrew framed him. He's an illegal animagus. I've seen him."

Everyone at the table except Justin, Hermione, and Harry had grown up in wizarding homes. They all knew what Sirius Black had gone to prison for. Luna blinked her owlish eyes at Harry and he felt a calming wave pass over him. He realized that his magic was being felt by everyone at the table and he pulled it in.

"I have ten galleons that Gryffindor wins the quidditch cup," Ron stated, slapping his money on the table and taking all the attention away from Harry.

Harry silently thanked Ron and picked at his food. He was not at all hungry but knew that if he didn't eat Hermione would get Susan to start nagging him about his eating habits. The pain in his scar was much worse than usual and was nearly driving him to distraction. It was definitely making him more irritable than was normal.

"Did you know him?" Susan asked quietly while the quidditch debate reigned.

"He was a fugitive," Harry said shortly.

"Then how do you know he was innocent?" she questioned.

Harry put down his fork, "I'd rather not talk about it."

Susan frowned, "There's a lot you'd rather not talk about."

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

Harry left the feast early and wandered the halls on his own. He bumped into Snape as the Potions Master was rushing out of the dungeons. They nodded at each other as Snape practically ran by. The ache in his scar was overcoming Harry's pain barriers. Harry eventually found an old unused classroom and set up some wards so he could practice. He fired off curses at a practice wall as fast as he could, wishing he could help defend the celebrations.

When he tired of practicing curses Harry transformed and went to the window. In his animagus form the scar did not hurt quite as much, possibly because griffins were difficult to injure. It was a full moon, and Harry had tried to convince Remus to let him join him. He had no success and thought of Remus out there, alone. He had Padfoot before that June to keep him company on those nights. Harry felt guilty at taking that away from Remus, and he screech-roared at the moon until the emotional pain dulled.

It was far past curfew when Harry made it back to Gryffindor Tower and everyone should have been in bed. He and Susan had planned on spending some time together after the feast, but Harry didn't want to see anyone. He was not surprised that Hermione was waiting up for him.

"Where have you been?" she demanded.

"Walking, practicing," he answered shortly. "I'm going to bed." He tried to walk past her but she stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.

"No you're not," Hermione ordered. "You are sitting down and we are talking."

"Excuse me?" Harry snapped. "I don't have to talk to anyone if I don't want to!"

"Including your girlfriend?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, including my girlfriend! Do you want me to start spilling secrets to her?"

"Of course not," Hermione replied in her no-nonsense voice. "You have to share something with her, though. She hardly knows you. The only thing that's changed about your casual acquaintance is that you're snogging her!"

"What do you want me to tell her? Should I tell her about the cupboard or the bars on my window? Maybe I should talk about my nightmares, or what I hear when a dementor gets near me," Harry hissed, thankful the common room was empty except for them.

Hermione was near tears. Harry felt a twinge of guilt but pushed it away. She was the one interfering. He conjured an ice pack to press against his forehead. The scar was burning more fiercely than it had since the last time he had been in Voldemort's presence. If he wasn't in Hogwarts he would be worried that Voldemort was there.

"Yes, if that's what you think about, that's what you should tell her!" Hermione said quietly.

The twinge of guilt pushed forward as tears started to leak of the corners of her eyes. Harry knew he would fold soon. He stepped forward and hugged Hermione, speaking quietly in her ear, "It's not what I think about. The only thing on my mind is attacks, the prophecy, and training. School work is a distant second, which is why I get it done as quickly as possible. I almost never think of quidditch anymore. So what am I supposed to tell her? I can't talk about Order business or the prophecy. I can't tell her why my scar hurts."

Hermione hugged him back and pulled his head down to rest on her shoulder. She smoothed his hair and spoke soft words that Harry didn't bother to listen to clearly. It was not the words that mattered but the soothing sound of Hermione's voice. Harry felt a tingle on his hip just as the pain in his scar began to lessen and heard the soft trill of a phoenix. He and Hermione exchanged looks.

"Go get Ron," she said. "You're still not off the hook, though. She's pretty upset."

Harry cringed and looked down. He ran up to the dorm and saw Ron struggling to get his robes over his pajamas. Harry was shocked that the phoenix call had actually managed to wake his friend. They hurried down the stairs and double-checked to make sure no one saw them before slipping out of the common room.

"We were misdirected," Albus said wearily. "Azkaban has been emptied. All the captured Death Eaters are free except for the few being held at the Ministry while awaiting trial. His full force attacked the island and killed every auror guarding it. Lyle Abbott was there."

Harry raked both hands through his hair and looked up at the ceiling. Lyle had been only recently inducted to the Order, and was Hannah Abbott's first cousin. He was the same age as Charlie and had been in Hufflepuff, like most of the Abbotts.

"Is Severus back?" Minerva asked with concern.

Albus sighed, "Not yet."

It was past midnight, and all non-auror members had been summoned. The meeting room, with one very large table now, was quiet. Each person was following their own thoughts. Charlie looked like he'd been struck and Bill had an arm around his younger brother. Lyle was inducted on Charlie's recommendation and Harry guessed they had been close friends.

Harry found himself, much to his own horror, concerned about Snape. They had all discussed the possibility that Severus was being fed false information to draw him out as a spy. Snape had sneered at any reminder to be cautious and Harry wondered if those sneers were part of the mask.

"..._greater and more terrible than ever he was_...," Harry said before he realized he was speaking his thoughts. When he saw the questioning looks he answered what everyone was probably thinking, "It was another prophecy, already fulfilled. It predicted Wormtail would get back to Voldemort and help him rise again."

"Malfoy knew," Hermione said and smacked the table with her open hand. "You showed me at the feast Harry. He was paler than normal and all quiet. He knew his father was escaping."

"How could a student know?" Neville's grandmother asked.

The discussion switched to security in the school, the children of the escaped Death Eaters, and various forms of communication they might be using. It was suggested that they be kept in the castle over the winter holiday to keep them from either giving information to their parents or getting instructions. Albus refused, as there was no evidence against any of the Death Eaters' offspring.

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

The Azkaban escape was in the_ Daily Prophet _the morning after the raid and Snape was at the breakfast table, much to the relief of three Gryffindors who would never admit it if asked. He was distracted in class that morning, and Harry got detention for no apparent reason. He scowled and grumbled while the Slytherins laughed, all the while suspecting there was no good reason for the detention.

Hermione had lunch at the Hufflepuff table next to Susan. They sat with their backs to Harry and were probably talking about him. Ron noticed and muttered about how it was impossible to understand girls. Harry would have agreed, but he knew exactly why Susan was upset and he didn't blame her. He had in the past reacted much worse to being kept in the dark about things he thought were important for him to know.

Harry's detention was once again held behind silencing and locking charms. Harry put a few of his own up when he entered the classroom and saw a flicker of approval in Snape's eyes at the charms he chose.

"Is your cover blown?" Harry asked quietly.

"It may be," Snape replied icily. "The Dark Lord was laughing at how the Order was guarding the wrong people. I was in the first wave onto the island, presumably to prove my loyalty."

Harry shuddered. It was strange to hear someone confess, even indirectly, to murder. "What does it feel like?" said Harry softly.

"What does what feel like?" Snape snapped.

"Avada Kedavra," Harry replied. "Do you have to want to kill?"

Snape flinched, "No. That is one reason it is an Unforgivable. It takes quite a bit of power to cast but the intention is irrelevant. You could cast it on Granger now and she would be just as dead as those aurors. You pay a price, though. When you use it you feel the victim die, and it feels... good. It slowly seduces you and other methods of murder become... less difficult."

"Why am I here tonight?" Harry asked.

"Your training is all wrong. Albus isn't training you right for one of his bizarre reasons. They are training you as an Auror, mostly defense with the ability to capture. You need to learn more offensive magic. No one else here is qualified with the dark arts. Jameson is good, almost too good, but I have never known him to kill. Most of what he does for Albus is research, though he has been in several battles," Snape explained.

"I know. I talked to Hermione about it. I need to learn to kill, not protect myself. Nowhere does the prophecy say I will survive. If I have to die to kill him, I will," Harry stated.

"The Aurors were given permission this morning to use the Unforgivables. This summer, Albus quietly got you permission to use all spells that an Auror is allowed. By extension, this gives you legal permission to use the Unforgivable Curses," Snape told Harry.

Harry swallowed and stood, "Will you teach me, Severus?"

Snape's mask slipped for a fraction of a second and Harry thought he saw terrible sadness there. The Potions Master nodded and summoned a jar he had on one of the classroom shelves. There were live spiders inside.

"We will start small, with curses that can kill if used right but not the killing curse," Snape instructed. "Show me what you know."

Harry nodded and had his wand in hand in a flash. He summed a spider out of the jar and held it hovering over a table. With a flick of his wrist the spider was burnt to a crisp. After an hour or so there was a pile of dead spiders. Harry had learned several new curses, many of them bordering on dark arts. He returned to the common room exhausted.

"What did Snape make you do?" Ron asked, not entirely privy to the farce that Harry and Snape played out.

"Sorted dead spiders," Harry responded and watched his friend go pale and shudder. Ron would not ask any more questions.

Things remained tense between Harry and Susan. He told her that there were many things he wasn't comfortable talking about, and some he wasn't allowed to talk about. Harry had told Hermione that she could tell Susan whatever she wanted, with the exception of the prophecy and anything Order related. His animagus form was also off-limits. Not even Ron and Ginny had seen that yet.

The attacks continued as the Winter Holiday approached. The majority of the students were staying at the castle, including most of the Slytherins, though those known as the 'Junior Death Eaters' were all leaving. Many parents thought their children were safest under Dumbledore's guard. Harry and Snape upped their outward hostility towards each other, giving Snape more reason to throw Harry in detention. After their fourth session Snape had started Harry on the Imperious curse, made more powerful with legilimency practice.

Between quidditch, the DA, 'detentions' with Snape, lessons with Jameson that Remus was helping with, and meetings with Albus, Harry had almost no time to do his homework, never mind time to spend with Susan. After Hermione had several talks with Susan the relationship improved. Hermione told him that she had filled Susan in on what was basically his life story. He felt guilty that he couldn't tell Susan himself and was both relieved and upset that Hermione stepped in.

Susan joined Harry in the library when he was able to work on his homework. Quidditch season ended, giving Harry a little more time that was mostly taken up with work. The two of them put the Room of Requirement to good use for when they needed private time. Most of the DA didn't know the true nature of the room, so the Astronomy Tower remained the popular place for couples.

End of term exams passed almost unnoticed by Harry. They were just another small part of the busy schedule he maintained. It was almost a shock when the term did end. The quarters that Harry and Hermione shared that summer were converted for the entire Weasley family, Hermione, and Harry to use during the Winter Holiday. Everyone, including Dobby, seemed determined to show Harry a true Christmas.

Harry and Ginny were more relaxed around each other than ever before and a true brother-sister relationship was developing between them. Susan was at home for the holiday and Harry was amazed at how much he missed her. He had grown accustomed to her almost constant presence. Hedwig delivered her gift, a platinum necklace with an emerald pendant and protection charms, and returned with his which was placed under the tree in the huge pile of multi-colored boxes.

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

Please Review!

ooOoo


	18. Chapter 18

**Changes**

**Part Eighteen**

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

"Those glasses are a liability," Snape commented during Harry's first 'detention' of the spring term. "If they fall off in battle you will be essentially blind."

"I haven't had time to find a corrective spell," Harry responded as he dodged a curse and flung one back at Snape.

A book sailed through the air towards Harry. He caught it deftly as Snape spoke, "Consider it your Christmas gift."

"Aw, I didn't know you cared," Harry said as he shrunk the book and pocketed it.

Snape glared at him, "Cheeky brat."

"Slimy greasy git."

"Brainless celebrity."

"Overgrown vampire bat."

Snape chuckled, "That one is still going around?"

"The classics are always favorites. The way you stalk through the corridors with your robes billowing behind you doesn't help," Harry said. Had someone told him the previous year that he would actually hear the Potions Master laugh, Harry never would have believed it.

"That's enough for tonight. Get back to your common room before your friends storm the dungeons waving torches and pitchforks to stop your torture," Snape turned and left the classroom for what Harry could only assume was his private quarters.

Harry lowered the wards and left the room, musing at the recent turn of events. He assumed that Albus knew of the lessons with Snape and he had a sneaking suspicion that Professor Jameson knew as well. The defense professor never said a word when their lessons had to be rescheduled because of 'detention'.

The students were all frightened, especially with the almost daily reports of attacks in the papers. Several Slytherins had not returned for the term, mostly older students that did not have good grades to begin with. The Order assumed that several of the students that returned from holiday did so as spies.

The last straw for Susan and Harry's relationship came just a week after the term started. They were walking from the library to the Hufflepuff entrance portrait when they ran into Draco Malfoy.

"It's Potty and his little tramp," Malfoy taunted as they passed him. "Tell me Potty, does the Ministry have her giving you head to control their precious golden boy?"

Harry hadn't risen to the challenge of Malfoy's insults for most of the year. Every now and then he would snap back, but their altercations had been entirely verbal. His nerves were already short though, and Malfoy had crossed a line he had never even approached before, "What's the matter Drakey-poo? Do you miss Crabbe and Goyle? Did the Voldemort have them blow you to exert some control?"

Malfoy's eyes narrowed and he stepped away from the wall he had been casually leaning against, "No one controls me Potter."

"Oh that's right. Daddy just buys your way. Whoops, not anymore. Piss off Malfoy, I don't have time for you," Harry gave in to Susan's tugging on his robes and continued walking towards her House.

Harry felt a crackle of energy and quickly erected a shield around both Susan and him. He detected the curse as it bounced off the shield and careened harmlessly into a wall.

"Still attacking when your opponent's back is turned? Do _I_ need to turn you into a ferret, too?" Harry snapped without turning.

Susan's breathing was a bit irregular and Harry guessed she was starting to panic. She stepped closer to him, "Please, let's just go."

"He's not going to give up that easily Sue. Don't worry, nothing will happen to you," Harry said soothingly.

"Think you can protect her Potty?" Malfoy taunted. "You couldn't protect that mutt of yours, or your parents, or Cedric."

Harry was seeing red and none of Susan's pleas reached his ears. Harry turned, feeling the magical energy swirl around him, ruffling his hair and blowing his robes. Harry directed it at Malfoy and the blond Slytherin was lifted off his feet and tossed against a wall where he was held a meter off the ground. Harry didn't bother to draw a wand. He walked up to Malfoy, whose eyes had widened in fear, and looked up at him.

"You have no idea what you are getting involved in," Harry hissed slowly. "I've messed with bigger and badder than you and come out whole. Take your petty school-boy grudge and shove it up your arse Malfoy. You're not worth my time."

Harry brought the unleashed magical force back into himself and Malfoy dropped into a crumpled heap at Harry's feet. The blond boy didn't say a word. He summoned what dignity he could, stood, brushed off his robes, and walked off towards the dungeons. Harry turned to see Susan pressed up against a wall, looking at him in a combination of fear and awe. He took a step towards her but hesitated when he saw her flinch. He lowered his eyes, felt his shoulders slump, and left for the Gryffindor common room alone.

Harry brushed off his friends and headed straight for his bed, stopping to gather several books, parchment, and ink. He closed the curtains and warded them against intrusion from anyone. His secondary wand was lit and placed on the headboard, illuminating the small sanctuary. Harry pushed away any thought of what had just happened and settled in to study for the night. He massaged his forehead, urging the now constant pain, not just itch, in his scar to go away.

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

Minerva paced nervously in Albus's office. Severus had been summoned that night and had interrupted a conversation with a very upset Susan Bones to inform her he was leaving the grounds. Her current worry was two-fold. Pomona, after hearing it from the Bones girl, had told her of an altercation between Harry and the Malfoy boy earlier that evening in which no one was hurt, but both Susan and Malfoy were scared silly. Susan's Head of House had sent her to Minerva, who knew Harry much better.

Minerva hated that the only comfort she could offer the girl was superficial. Anything else would mean divulging Order secrets. She was worried about Harry and knew that his friends, or Hermione at least, were also worried. Anything they tried only pushed him further into himself. He was headed for a breakdown eventually and she prayed that the war ended soon and gave him some release. Harry was constantly shielding his emotions to protect them from Voldemort, and was denying himself and everyone around him in the process.

Severus posed even more concerns. She had watched him being seduced by the dark arts and Voldemort's followers in his time as a student, pushed further by the Marauders. They had suspected that Severus was in danger of discovery ever since the Halloween raid on Azkaban. He had been rewarded for his 'discovery' of the prophecy and apparently had told Voldemort that he fed Harry Veritaserum during detention then wiped his memory of the incident. Any spy Voldemort had in the school could easily report that Harry had frequent detentions with Severus.

If Harry's theory was correct no Death Eater would dare to kill the boy, or even harm him too much, giving him time to escape if necessary. Apparition lessons for the sixth year students had started and Harry had luckily picked it up quickly. His private lessons with Filius and her now included creating Portkeys and manipulating the Floo system, though Harry was very reluctant with Portkeys. He had learned almost immediately how to identify them, though. They also covered basic broom charms so he could enchant one if necessary or increase the speed. Filius had made him swear an oath not to use the knowledge in quidditch. With those spells he could make his Firebolt even faster, but would remove the safety charms.

"Do stop pacing Minerva," Albus said calmly. "Have a lemon drop."

Minerva had learned long ago that it was just easier to accept the muggle candies. Harry was the only one she had seen who actually was glad when the headmaster offered them. She popped the candy in her mouth and sat in her customary chair, tapping her foot anxiously.

"Is Harry ready Albus?" Minerva asked.

Albus raised an eyebrow and then sighed, "He is as ready as he will ever be. The only thing he does not have is the experience in using his newfound skills and the only way to get that is exactly what we are trying to avoid."

"His detentions with Severus... they are training then, right?" she asked.

Albus twinkled at her, "Why would you suspect that?"

"Harry has picked up his glares, and his mask. He is not nearly as good at hiding his emotions but he is not as transparent as he once was," she explained. "Harry, Jameson that is, has made some comments on his progress. I know what _he_ is teaching Harry and Harry is somehow learning other things."

"Underneath the harsh exterior Severus is a very good teacher," Albus commented.

Minerva scowled. That was as close as Albus would get to confirmation of her suspicions. The man almost never gave a straight answer to anything. It was getting late, but Minerva was determined to wait for Severus to return. Though she often clashed with the younger professor they were friends to some extent. She could always count on him for stimulating conversation, something that could not be found from all others on the faculty.

A pop signaled the arrival of someone by Portkey into the office. Albus immediately jumped up from behind his desk and Minerva turned to see the unconscious form of Severus Snape on the floor by the fireplace. She leapt up to assist Albus and together they brought the Death Eater turned spy to the hospital wing. Minerva was thankful it was far past curfew. Severus would never forgive them if any students saw him like this.

"Poppy!" Minerva called out as she entered the ward.

The nurse came out of her quarters immediately, wrapping a dressing gown around herself as she crossed the room. Albus settled Severus in a bed and Poppy immediately went to work. Bruises and cuts were healed with a flick of the wand, and the potion of Severus's own design to combat the effects of the Cruciatus Curse was administered. Albus sat by the bed as Poppy worked and smoothed back the hair that was clinging to Severus's face.

"I am sorry, my child," Albus said softly.

Minerva crossed to the headmaster and laid a hand on his shoulder, "You are not at fault Albus. We all failed him, but you saved him more than once."

"He will be fine Albus," Poppy commented. "After a few days in bed he will recover fully, though we have probably just lost a spy. His injuries have never been this bad before, and this is the only time he used the Portkey." The outer door to the wing banged open and a student called for the nurse in a panicked voice, "Oh what now?"

Harry's features were clenched in pain, but his body was still. All of Harry's dorm mates, with the exception of Seamus Finnigan, had levitated him to the infirmary. Their faces were all drained of color and Neville Longbottom looked as if he might faint or vomit at any moment.

"The wards on his bed dropped," Ron explained in a rush. "He was screaming and clenching his forehead." He looked pointedly at the headmaster, who nodded. "We paralyzed him and put up a silencing spell so he wouldn't wake the whole House."

Finnigan came running into the ward, "I couldn't find her. I... Professor McGonagall! I was looking for you."

Poppy had Harry in a bed and was working on him even before his friends began explaining themselves. She hissed and all heads snapped to her direction. Albus was beside the nurse in a flash and they spoke in low tones. Poppy's face was drawn and Minerva suspected she was very worried. Despite her urge to rush to Harry's bedside, Minerva knew she had four other of her students to deal with, all of them as worried as she was.

With a wave of her wand Minerva closed the privacy curtain around Harry, Albus, and Poppy. She ushered her students to the far end of the wing and closed the curtain around Severus as well. Ron, she could see, had made the connection between Severus and Harry's presence in the hospital that night and he was looking even more anxious.

Minerva summoned a house elf and ordered up hot chocolate. She discreetly handed a phial to the elf and turned back to her students.

"Will he be okay?" Neville asked quietly, almost tearfully.

"They both will," Minerva assured him. The elf returned with a tray of steaming mugs. Each of the boys took one and the calming potion began to work with the first sip. "There is nothing any of you can do here. Fifteen points each to Gryffindor for acting quickly and wisely. You can return to check on Harry in the morning _after_ breakfast."

The boys all nodded and left the hospital wing after they finished their drinks and shuffled off towards Gryffindor Tower. Minerva went to check on Harry and discovered Poppy flipping through a book. Albus had his wand trained on Harry and a soft glow surrounded him.

Minerva winced, "The potion didn't work?"

"No, he needs something stronger," Poppy mumbled as she scanned the pages.

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

Harry woke, expecting a mind splitting headache, and felt nothing. He didn't even have sore muscles from his vision the night before. As he drifted to consciousness he found that not only did he not feel any pain, he didn't feel anything, not even his bed or his blankets. Harry opened his eyes and was greeted by the stark white of the hospital wing. He groaned, wondering how he ended up there and what was so wrong with him.

Madam Pomfrey came into view above him, "Don't panic Harry. You're under an anesthesia spell that's usually only used before surgery. None of my pain reliever potions were working so we had to try something drastic."

"Sorry Madam Pomfrey," Harry slurred.

The nurse smiled, "I think you've been here enough to call me Poppy outside of Order business, not to mention meriting your own bed. I'm going to remove the spell and then I want you to swallow these."

"I haven't been here a lot this year," Harry protested, "only from dueling lessons... and quidditch once or twice."

Poppy held up a few phials that Harry recognized as the ones used after the Cruciatus Curse. He nodded, or assumed he did by the movement of the ceiling and the nurse's head. When she cast the spell he was instantly hit with the pain. After a minute he was able to unclench his jaw to allow in the potions. The pain then faded to a dull ache and Harry relaxed. He looked around and saw both Albus and Minerva in the room. Another bed was occupied, presumably with Severus.

"Is he okay?" Harry asked.

Albus nodded, "How much did you see?"

"Voldemort forced the link open. That alone hurt a lot. He really wanted me to see Severus die. He was tortured for a long time and when he disappeared the Death Eaters were punished, severely. Voldemort was furious, more than I've ever seen. He wanted me to be able to tell you how Severus died for spying in detail. It took a lot for him to get past my barriers and keep the link open, though, and he cast a lot of dark spells last night, so he's probably out of commission for a few days," Harry finished. He didn't want to go into detail about what he saw. Albus could deduce what happened from what he knew of Voldemort and the shape Severus was in the night before. If Severus wanted to explain further he could.

"Your friends will be here shortly," Minerva told him. "They were rather concerned last night."

Harry grimaced. He must have forgotten a silencing charm, but it was probably good that he did. If the Cruciatus potions didn't work right after the vision it must have been his worst one yet. Despite the potions movement hurt. Noise at the door told Harry that several people were outside. He dropped the block on his magic sensory skill and felt what must have been the entire DA waiting outside the infirmary. His astonishment must have shown on his face.

"Many people care for you Harry," Albus said.

The pain medications must have been getting to him. "They'll only get hurt," he muttered.

"I will not let all of you in! Patients in here need their rest," Poppy was yelling to the crowd. "Weasley and Granger can report back to the rest of you. Now, isn't it a Hogsmeade weekend?"

Harry felt most of the magical energy fade away with the grumbling of the students outside. Ron and Hermione rushed in but slowed when they saw Albus and Minerva there as well. Harry and Albus chuckled at their assumed decorum.

"Don't mind me," Albus got up and disappeared around the privacy curtain, followed by Minerva.

Ron sat down on the edge of bed and Hermione took the chair Albus had vacated. Hermione gently hugged Harry but he was too tired to respond in any way.

"What happened?" Hermione asked.

"His cover was blown, but he's okay," Harry said quietly.

Ron cringed, "I thought it was something like that. I never thought I'd be glad the greasy git's okay. We'll have to come up with something good to tell everyone. Dean, Seamus, and Neville saw him in here last night."

"I'm sure Albus will say something," Harry said sleepily. "He'll be here for a few days, even if Poppy has to tie him to the bed, so he'll miss a few classes."

"Don't you give me that look Severus Snape or I _will_ tie you to that bed!" Poppy said from the other side of the curtain, accompanied by the soft chuckles of Albus and Minerva.

"What happened with Susan, mate?" Ron asked. "She was really quiet at breakfast even before we told her you were up here. Ow, 'Mione! What was that for?"

"Do you even know the meaning of the word discretion, Ron?" Hermione huffed. "Now is not the best time to ask him!"

" 'S okay 'Mione," Harry yawned. "I don' really wan' to talk abou' it. Aren' you goin' to Hog'mea'?"

Ron opened his mouth to say something but Hermione shut him up with a look, "You should get some sleep Harry. Is there anything you want us to bring back for you?"

Harry gave her a small forced smile, "Surprise me."

Poppy came around the curtain and held out a phial of Dreamless Sleep, "Drink Harry! Visiting time is over!"

Harry drank the potion as Poppy shooed Ron and Hermione out of the hospital with Ron calling over his shoulder, "We'll tell everyone you say 'hi'!"

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

Please Review!

ooOoo


	19. Chapter 19

**Changes**

**Part Nineteen**

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

Over the next few weeks Minerva watched Harry slowly remove himself from the rest of the school's social interactions. Outwardly he was the same as ever, the best seeker, leader of the DA, but he was quieter and more subdued. She knew that Albus was worried, but unwilling to push Harry into revealing his feelings. Minerva had walked in on Albus and his nephew discussing Harry more than once. At Order meetings she was surprised at how calmly Remus was taking Harry's withdrawal. Her most famous Gryffindor would normally defer to Hermione to speak for the three of them, but it had gotten to the point where he said nothing unless asked directly.

Minerva saw that Hermione had been watching Harry as well. The bright girl probably knew more facts than anyone in the school, but she was at a loss when it came to Harry's problems. Harry was attending all his classes, doing all his work at a higher quality than previous years, and working hard in his extra lessons. He went to every quidditch practice and caught the snitch in all his games.

"He's afraid of hurting us," Hermione told Minerva one Sunday night while Harry had his mandatory visit with Albus. The girl had started dropping by Minerva's office to talk at that time and the two of them were forming a friendship. "He still blames himself for Cedric and Sirius, and all our injuries from last year. Nothing we can say changes his mind on that. I blame the Dursleys for that. Everything that went wrong in that house was blamed on him."

"I told Albus not to leave him there," Minerva said darkly before conjuring a tea service.

Hermione poured a cup of tea for each of them, "He had no other choice. The blood connection to his aunt powers the wards and there was no way of knowing if the Death Eaters would go after Harry for destroying Voldemort."

"They did try," Minerva informed her prize pupil. Hermione's eyebrows rose slightly in the face of learning something new. "After Lily and James were killed Severus reported several plots to find Harry and capture him. There were plans to use him as a vessel for Voldemort's spirit. He would have been returned to the muggles and the Dark Lord would have been raised in Harry's body."

Hermione shuddered and Minerva remembered feeling the same way when she learned of the aborted scheme, aborted because there was no knowledge of where Harry was.

Minerva continued, "Their hatred of the wizarding world may have saved Harry on more than one occasion. Remus was not allowed any contact with Harry by the wishes of the Dursleys. If he had been I dare say he would have insisted that Harry be removed from their home, regardless of the protections."

"All he would have seen was that Harry was in danger," Hermione said thoughtfully. "The wolf in him would have seen Harry as a cub, the only cub of his pack to protect. Remus would probably have landed in Azkaban."

Minerva nodded, "That's one reason Albus sent him out of the country to track Voldemort's spirit with Professor Jameson."

"They knew where he was?" Hermione asked. "Why didn't they do anything about him?"

"You've heard the prophecy," Minerva answered. "They couldn't have done anything. Harry will be the one to kill Voldemort."

Hermione sighed, "I just hope he doesn't get destroyed in the process. He's not really happy. He hasn't been since the beginning of our fourth year. He can have fun, and laugh at jokes, but it's all on the surface."

Minerva was dismayed. She knew that Harry had many problems, but she hadn't thought it was that bad yet, "Nothing makes him happy anymore?"

"Susan did for a bit, but he had to hide too much from her. They haven't been together since the night he was in the hospital wing. You know what happened with Malfoy?" Minerva nodded. "Susan thinks she scared Harry off. She was near panic the whole time. She's never been in a real fight and, well, when Harry and Malfoy get going...," Minerva nodded again in understanding. "Susan flinched away from Harry after Malfoy left and she said he just walked away with his head down. That was the same night that Professor Snape was hurt."

"I've talked to Albus," Minerva tried to comfort the girl. "He believes Harry will be fine, though I have no idea why. You can trust in Albus Dumbledore Hermione. He may not explain why he does things, or his reasoning, but he is right much more often than he is wrong. I haven't known him to make a poor judgment in many years, with the exception of hiring Gilderoy Lockhart. If you ask Albus, though, that wasn't his fault."

Hermione finally laughed, as Minerva hoped she would with that little story. Minerva knew exactly why Lockhart had been hired and she berated Harry Brian Jameson to that day for suggesting that airhead apply for the job and recommending that Albus hire him.

"Still, I wish there was something I could do," Hermione sighed into her cup of tea.

"There is," Minerva replied. She looked at her student sternly, "No matter what happens, no matter what he does, be there when he needs you. The day will come when he needs his friends and I am afraid of what could happen if they have already given up on him. Tom Riddle never really had friends. You and the Weasleys may have saved not only Harry, but the entire wizarding world. The similarities between their childhoods are frightening, and they are both very powerful."

"The sorting hat almost put Harry in Slytherin," Hermione whispered, shocking Minerva to her core. "Harry had already met Ron and Malfoy. He begged the hat to put him anywhere else."

"I can only repeat what Albus has said time and again," Minerva said solemnly. "It is our choices that make us who we are. I have seen Harry make many choices, and I have never been disappointed in the long run."

"Harry is the one that needs to hear that."

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

Harry devoted himself to learning as much as he could as quickly as he could. Each attack reported in the morning paper spurred him on, made him want to fulfill that blasted prophecy as soon as he was able. He knew it wouldn't be too long before Voldemort came after him again. Now that he knew the whole of the prophecy he would want to kill Harry before Harry was fully trained.

The training sessions with Severus were more intense than ever, though still cloaked as detentions. The Potions Master was just as dedicated to teaching Harry to kill as Harry was to learn. He learned several spells that could be used lethally, though they theorized that the killing curse was the only one that would end Voldemort, if it worked at all. What Harry had to prepare for was the possibility that he would have to kill others to get to Voldemort when the time came.

Psychological preparation was the most difficult thing. Fully versed in the spells he needed, Harry had to prepare mentally to take a life. The argument with Severus over whether Harry had killed Quirrell lasted through several sessions. Severus claimed that Quirrell died when Voldemort's spirit fled his body. Harry may have influenced the circumstances, but he claimed that Harry did not cause the actual death. Quirrell was one of Voldemort's many victims. Harry could not forget the flesh burning from his touch alone. In the end, they agreed to use a pensieve for Harry to experience some of the times that Severus had killed.

Harry was distracted by one of the memories during a DA meeting the night after he had viewed it. The DA was practicing mock-battles. He had shielded himself against stray curses and let his mind drift. The killings he viewed were all while Severus was working as a spy. In one of them, the summer before Harry's parents were killed, he used his bare hands to kill the offending Death Eater in disgust at the crime. The victim was an eleven-year-old muggle born, one of Severus's students, who had been horrifically tortured by her father under the Imperious Curse. Severus had arrived too late to save the family, but not too late to exact revenge for them. He had almost blown his cover in the process.

"Harry!"

"Hm?" he turned to Hermione.

"It's half-an-hour to curfew. Is there anything you need to tell everyone?" she asked. Harry shook his head and Hermione turned to the group of students, "Usual time, usual place, that's all for tonight."

Harry surveyed the damage to the room and started flicking his wand, repairing broken pieces of furniture and putting books back on their shelves. He suspected that the Room of Requirement would be in perfect shape the next time it was used, no matter what condition it was left in, but his years with the Dursleys wouldn't let him leave a mess. The necessity of cleaning was ingrained in him. As usual, one of the girls stayed behind to help him out. That night it was Lisa Turpin.

Once the room was clean again Harry turned to Lisa, "Thanks, it's all set now."

He began to walk out when she put a hand on his shoulder, "What's bothering you, Harry?"

"Nothing, I'm fine," came his automatic reply.

"No. You're not fine," Lisa insisted. "You don't talk to anyone, not even Ron and Hermione. Hermione has this perpetual worried look around you."

"Lisa, you can't fix me. Don't try," Harry snapped. His frustration was rising. He was sick of everyone asking how he was doing as he would break any minute.

"I'm not trying to fix you," Lisa replied calmly. "You're wound up tighter than a snitch. You need release."

"Huh?" Harry asked, mystified.

"The problem with you and Susan was that she wanted emotional involvement and you can't give that now," Lisa said as she started massaging the tense muscles in his back. "I'm offering to be with you without all the emotional stuff."

"So, dating but not dating?" Harry said as he lowered himself to sit on the floor. Girls had confused him before, but with that night they were reaching a whole new level of confusion. All the rules he learned didn't mean a thing.

Lisa shrugged, "Let's say friends with privileges. You won't need to hold my hand, or take me to Hogsmeade, or talk to me about anything you don't want to. If either one of us finds someone we want to see exclusively that's fine."

Lisa was now sitting behind him, her arms wrapped around his neck and her chin resting on his shoulder. Harry was struggling to figure out exactly what she was proposing without any luck, "I'm not getting it."

She turned his head gently and kissed him, her tongue darting into his mouth. Harry responded automatically and discovered that Lisa was indeed a very good kisser. He twisted around so he was facing her and deepened the kiss. Her hands wandered his sides and parted his robes to untuck his shirt and reach the skin beneath it. She didn't stop him when he opened her robes and shirt and his kisses trailed down her neck to the soft flesh cradled in his hands. He didn't stop her when she pushed off his robes and shirt and started to unbutton his trousers. She reached her hand inside and Harry's mind was emptied of his swirling emotions for the first time in weeks.

It was long past curfew when they left the room. Lisa said goodnight as they walked out and turned towards Ravenclaw Tower on her own. Harry activated the Marauders Map and made sure she didn't get caught. He had the Map everywhere he went, mostly so Ron and Hermione couldn't track him down when he wanted to be alone. Harry wandered the castle corridors, finally stopping at the top of the North Tower to look at the night sky. It was cold out, but a warming charm on his cloak took care of that. He didn't return to Gryffindor Tower until sometime in the early morning.

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

"You are much more relaxed lately," Severus observed during a long session on the last day of the Easter holiday. Harry was one of very few students in the castle, making it very easy to spend long hours in the dungeons. Professor Jameson was with his family so they could not conduct any training. The rest of the students would be arriving in only an hour.

Harry blushed. He and Lisa were meeting frequently after curfew all over the castle, with the Map to keep them from getting caught. She was very open and Harry learned that she had about as much sexual experience as he did, but was eager to learn more. Outside their experiments they interacted how they always had, the same way Harry acted with all the DA members. They were friends, but not close friends.

Harry began to stammer a response but was stopped by a raised hand, "Forget it Harry. I have no desire to learn of your nocturnal activities. I will simply fulfill my job as your professor and remind you to be careful and use protection."

If anything that caused Harry to blush brighter, "Er, no need to worry sir. That's covered."

Severus smirked, "If that is the method you wish to use go right ahead, though magical means are much more enjoyable than the muggle ones."

Harry nearly chocked. _Snape is not giving me sex advice_, he tried to tell himself. He looked up and saw that the Potions Master was thoroughly enjoying Harry's discomfort. No matter how much they managed to get along in private the man would always snap at Harry in public and loved to catch him off balance whether in public or private.

Finally managing to gather his wits about him Harry shot off a curse that Severus easily deflected, "That is not at all what I meant and where on earth would I get condoms while I'm here?"

Severus snorted, "Muggle-borns manage to bring all sorts of things into this castle. There has been a thriving black market in muggle pharmaceuticals for decades."

Harry shook his head. _'Mione's right_, he thought, _I'm oblivious_. Harry finished his practice on blocking dark arts curses, having only allowed a small part of a cutting hex to get through. Severus fixed the shallow cut with a wave of his wand and Harry stored away the healing incantation for later use. Yet another scar was added to Harry's list.

They sat down at a table with the pensieve, preparing for another session of mental preparation. Harry was wondering if it was enough, as he wasn't feeling what Severus felt during the kill, just seeing it. The former spy refused to discuss the feelings associated with taking another life and Harry did not want to pry. He knew that one slip on either side could make their tenuous relationship revert to its former intense mutual hatred.

Just before they were to begin a piece of parchment, never folded and with quickly scratched out words, appeared in front of Severus. Harry read it upside-down and saw Severus pale as he interpreted the words.

_Sev,_

_I think Father knows. My Portkey is gone._

_Draco_

Harry bit back his initial reaction, knowing that Malfoy was Severus's prize student.

"I have to go," Snape said and jumped up.

Harry followed, "He turned against his father, didn't he?"

"Yes," Severus refused to elaborate.

"You're going to Malfoy Manor to rescue him?" Harry questioned.

"Yes! Go back to your Tower Potter!" Snape demanded.

They were climbing the stairs out of the dungeons, "No. I'm going with you."

"Don't be ridiculous. Albus would kill both of us if you left the castle with me."

"I'm going with you. You escaped from Voldemort and nothing makes him crazier. He wants your head nearly as much as he wants mine. It's about as safe for you to leave this castle as it is for me," Harry snapped as they strode through the corridors. "Anyway, if Voldemort is there and we surprise him I may just have a shot to end this whole thing. You might need the back-up."

"Fine," Snape almost yelled, then muttered under his breath. "Stupid Gryffindors always rushing into things."

"You do plenty of that yourself, or was that not you in the Shrieking Shack three years ago?" Harry snapped back. He pulled out the journal that communicated with Albus and began writing as they walked, "Albus will send help from the Order."

The main castle doors flew open before them and the two of them ran across the grounds. Snape looked down at the journal, "At least Albus has given you something useful."

Harry smirked, "He gave me my father's cloak."

"Interfering old man," Snape growled.

Harry felt the journal warm as they neared the edge of the wards.

_I won't even try to stop you. Help is on the way. Be careful._

"He's sending help," Harry said.

"You know how to apparate?" Harry nodded. "Good. Stay in contact with me and focus on me. I will take us to the edge of the Malfoy Manor wards. Only Malfoys can apparate inside the Manor."

Harry flicked his wrist and his wand shot into his hand. He no longer needed to even think the summoning spell. He rapped both Snape and himself on the head, though it was a bit of a stretch to reach Snape, "Disillusionment Charm."

"Good thinking."

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

Please Review!

ooOoo


	20. Chapter 20

**Changes**

**Part Twenty**

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

Harry had never followed someone else while apparating and had to force himself to focus on Severus. He opened up his magical sensory to give him something to focus on. There was almost none of the cracking sound that usually accompanied apparition. A grotesquely large Tudor style house stood on a hill before them. They began hurrying up the hill, Snape's hand on Harry's shoulder so they did not get separated.

He spoke quietly as they climbed, "The house was built when the Malfoys came to Britain from France in Shakespeare's time. The wards were erected at the same time and added to with each generation. By now Lucius will know there are intruders if he is in the Manor."

"There!" Harry pointed to the edge of the forest behind the house as they crested the hill.

The silhouette of two figures could barely be seen in the setting sun, though their almost white blond hair was visible even from a distance. The taller of the figures had a wand trained on the smaller and they were walking into the forest. The smaller figure stumbled as walked, a very bad sign for the always in control Draco Malfoy. They disappeared into the trees and a flash of red light was accompanied by screams.

No words were needed. Severus and Harry both broke into sprints, no longer worried about stealth, headed for the red light. The hoarse screams continued as they ran.

Harry spoke, knowing that Lucius could not hear them over Draco's screams, "You know more healing. I'll take care of Lucius."

"Right," Severus agreed.

As soon as they were within sight of the father and son Harry yelled out, more to distract Lucius than to hit him, "_Stupefy!_"

Harry dodged to the side in case a curse was returned and continued running.

The voice of Lucius rang out as Draco whimpered on the ground, "You're too late Severus! At least one traitor will die tonight for his crimes. _Avada_ –"

Harry yelled the first curse that came to mind that would break through any shield, "_Crucio!_"

The curse did not have the hate behind it to leave Lucius writhing in agony as it had when the father cast it on his son, but it was powerful enough to send Lucius swiftly flying back to hit a tree with a sickening crack. From the angle he hit Harry guessed that an arm was broken, probably with a couple ribs.

Lucius was quickly on his feet again and he cast a counter-spell for the Disillusionment Charm, making Harry and Severus visible. Harry and Lucius battled, throwing curses back and forth, both of them dodging, shielding, and blocking. The fight was much more balanced than it had been in the Ministry. Harry had more power now, but Lucius still had more experience and a vast knowledge of dark curses. Harry felt a bone crack in his left leg and knew he had to end the battle before Lucius incapacitated him. He threw up a strong shield and bound his leg before dodging a green streak of light. Only one spell was that color green.

Harry slashed his wand through the air and watched as an invisible knife cut open Lucius Malfoy's throat causing blood to spurt out with a whooshing sound of lungs emptying of air. There was a gurgling as the blood flowed into the windpipe and was fought by the escaping air. The body fell to the ground, lifeless.

He stood transfixed, not believing his own eyes. Harry had not intended to kill, but to injure Lucius enough to stop the duel.

"Harry!"

Harry felt himself turn slowly towards the sound, his mind partially disconnected from his body. Remus was running towards him with Kingsley and an Auror Harry couldn't remember having met.

"I killed him," Harry said in a distant voice.

Arms wrapped around him and his wand was taken from his grasp. Harry heard a pop and suspected that Severus and Draco were gone to Hogwarts or St. Mungo's. Remus was talking, but Harry didn't hear him.

"_Priori Incantatum_," Kingsley said. "Cutting curse, dark but legal."

"_Priori Incantatum_," the other Auror spoke. "Malfoy cast the killing curse. It's a clean kill regardless, seeing as Malfoy's a wanted fugitive. This just makes it even more acceptable. Give him his wand back Kingsley."

Harry felt his wand pressed back into his hand and he gripped it tightly, banishing it back up his sleeve into its holster.

"Did he just...?"

"You didn't see a thing Chambers," Kingsley growled. "Harry Potter was not here tonight."

"Yes, sir," Chambers responded with awe in his voice.

"Harry. Harry! HARRY!"

"Moony?" Harry whispered.

"Come with me back to Hogwarts Harry," Remus said softly, his arms still wrapped around Harry's smaller frame.

Harry nodded, "How's Draco?"

"I don't know," Remus responded. "I have a Portkey to the infirmary. I gave another to Severus so we can find out there."

Harry didn't have time to protest to the use of a Portkey before the pull behind his navel swept him away from the forest.

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

Harry fell to the floor and vomited as soon as he landed in the infirmary. Albus had fire called Minerva and alerted her to wait for him while he helped Severus and Poppy with Draco Malfoy. Minerva rushed over to Harry and Remus and saw that Harry was shaking like a leaf. Remus touched his shoulder and Harry flinched.

"Harry! You're in Hogwarts!" Minerva said in as calm a tone as she could manage.

Harry looked up at her and his face almost broke her heart. His eyes were hollow and there should have been tears falling but his cheeks were dry. His breathing was uneven.

"I thought... Cedric..." his voice trailed off. "Lucius is dead."

Minerva started and looked to Remus. The expression on his face confirmed her fears. The werewolf drew a finger across his neck and Minerva shuddered, but thanked Merlin that Harry hadn't used the killing curse.

Together with Remus she helped the trembling Gryffindor stand. She absentmindedly cleaned the floor as they helped Harry into his usual bed, luckily on the opposite side of the wing from where Poppy, Severus, and Albus were working on the Malfoy boy. Minerva didn't bother with tea or hot chocolate but poured the calming potion straight down Harry's throat.

"I'm sorry," were the first words out of his mouth.

Minerva was again surprised. Remus was sitting on the bed with Harry, cradling the sixteen-year-old like a small child, while Harry looked at Minerva with pain-filled eyes.

"You have no reason to be sorry," Minerva replied. "You saved Draco Malfoy's life."

Harry snorted, "I guess Severus was right. I am just like my father."

That statement did not hold the joy it should have. Harry's voice was dull and unfeeling. Remus tightened his hold on his friends' son and was obviously holding back tears.

"I think you are more like your mother," Minerva responded. "She made it her job to help everyone while she was here."

Some feeling came back into the emerald eyes, a small glimmer of hope.

"I didn't mean to kill him. I knew I might, but I didn't want to," Harry said slowly.

"Tell me everything Harry," Minerva commanded softly. She held up a hand to stop Remus's objection.

Harry told his story, starting with the letter Severus received from Draco Malfoy. Harry admitted to the secret lessons with Severus and their purpose. The tears broke through and streamed down Remus's face at the knowledge that Harry was training to kill. The battle with Lucius was described in enough detail that Minerva could picture it as clearly as if she were there. Once he was done Minerva handed Harry some Dreamless Sleep and watched as he drank enough for twelve hours of sound slumber.

Remus stayed with Harry while Minerva walked over to the group around the young Slytherin.

"How is he?" she asked quietly.

"Not good," Severus replied clinically. "He was under Cruciatus for at least ten cumulative minutes." Minerva winced, knowing the damage that could do. "He has torn muscles and ligaments. We won't know about any... mental damage... until he wakes. Lucius beat him black and blue as well, though that's been healed. I had us shielded while they fought and nothing got through. How is Harry?"

"He killed Lucius," Minerva replied. Three heads snapped up. Albus suddenly looked very old to her. "He used Cruciatus to break whatever shield Lucius had and interrupt the killing curse. He knew from last year what it would do without the hate behind it. He didn't use the killing curse.

"Luckily, Severus explained exactly what it does to the caster. Harry slit Lucius's throat with a cutting curse. From what he said Kingsley will be taking credit for the kill and leaving Harry's name out altogether. I gave him some Dreamless Sleep. He'll be out until teatime tomorrow. He also has a broken leg that needs to be mended."

"I need to contact Kingsley," Albus said. "He cannot take credit for this."

"Albus –"

"No, Severus. You know as well as I that Harry cannot pretend this did not happen. If the papers report that Lucius was killed by a

Aurors Harry will be allowed to push the memory away," Albus explained vehemently. "It will be much worse for him in the long run. I will speak to Amelia and Cornelius as well. Minerva can repeat what Harry told her and Kingsley and Chambers can testify. Harry will not be questioned, vilified, or dragged back into that courtroom."

Albus's tone reminded Minerva of a mother lioness protecting her cubs. There was a flare of power with the last sentence and Minerva knew no argument was necessary. Harry would be protected from the Ministry at all costs. She nodded and saw Severus and Poppy doing the same out of the corner of her eye.

Draco Malfoy looked much the same as he always did, though without the customary sneer he wore whenever he was in her classroom. She had not known he was passing information to Severus, as the Potions Master had refused to give the names of his informants to the Order. Minerva left his side, knowing that Severus would stay with his student.

She returned to Harry's bed and saw that Remus had extricated himself from beneath the dark haired boy and was sitting in a chair by the bed. He nodded at her as she approached.

"I will let Harry know you're here," she said softly, getting a nod in response.

She left the hospital wing to wake the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor and inform him of the night's events. When she got to his chambers she was not surprised to see light coming from the portrait. She was granted admittance immediately and saw Harry sitting on couch, staring at his fire and sipping tea that was probably laced with whiskey.

"You knew," she said softly.

He nodded and drank from his tea cup. She crossed the room and pulled him up for a hug.

"I don't know how you manage with those damn dreams," she said for perhaps the hundredth time.

"Neither do I, Minerva, neither do I."

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

Albus had asked Harry to wait before entering the great hall the next morning. He stood in the chamber that had held the Triwizard champions after they were selected that Halloween. Just standing in that room made him feel very small. He heard the chatter of the students die down as Albus got their attention.

"As you will all notice the morning post has been delayed. Yesterday we nearly lost one of our own. Lucius Malfoy discovered that Draco Malfoy had been passing information on Death Eater activities to Professor Snape, who in turn informed the Ministry and me." Harry heard conversation rise and fall quickly. "The younger Malfoy was able to notify the professor, who immediately left for Malfoy Manor with Harry Potter. Together, they were able save Draco, though Lucius was killed in the process. Draco will be in the hospital wing for an unknown time, recovering from the ordeal."

Albus clapped and there was the sound of hundreds of owls entering the hall. Harry used the distraction to slip in unnoticed and take his seat between Hermione and Ginny. The two girls instantly hugged him tightly, taking the place of Molly Weasley's reaction to any trouble Harry landed in.

"What where you thinking going off and –"

"I did what I had to do 'Mione," Harry whispered dully. "Read the_ Prophet_. It will all be there."

Albus had very skillfully manipulated the school's discovery of the events that took place while they were all on the Hogwarts Express or in the castle. By the time they read in the_ Daily Prophet_ that Harry had been the one who killed Lucius Malfoy most of the hall thought he wasn't there, having already looked for him while Albus was talking.

Harry heard a sharp gasp to his right and knew that Hermione had just reached that part of the article.

"Oh Harry!" she exclaimed. "I thought Professor... How could he let you...?"

Harry leaned in so only she could hear him, "I didn't try to kill him, but in a way it is good that I did. How could I kill Voldemort without knowing if I could actually kill another person?"

The look on Hermione's face was a cross between horror and comprehension. Harry saw a tear drop from the corner of her eye and suddenly couldn't stand the great hall anymore.

"I'm going to the hospital wing," Harry said quietly.

He cast an invisibility charm on himself so he could leave the hall unseen and walked slowly to the hospital wing. He removed the spell as he made his way to Malfoy's bed where Professor Snape was keeping watch.

"How is he?" Harry asked.

The professor sighed, "Alive, but that's all I can say. With the amount of time he was under the curse... "

"The Longbottoms," Harry filled in.

Snape nodded, "They were under for much longer, at least an hour each, but damage starts much earlier. It could be little things, like some minor nerve problems, or as bad as memory loss or partial paralysis. His reflexes respond, so there is no numbing..."

"But we won't really know until he wakes up," Harry finished. Snape nodded. "How long?"

"At least a few days, it could be two or three weeks," Snape answered.

"You have class Severus," Harry said quietly. "Sixth year N.E.W.T.s starts in five minutes."

Snape glared at Harry in response.

"I'll stay," Harry suggested. "I can get notes off 'Mione and brew the practical later in my detention for missing class. He won't wake up today."

Harry held the Potions Master's gaze until he relented and stood to leave the hospital wing without another word. Harry sat in the seat that was left warm when Severus got up. After sitting in the familiar silence of the hospital wing for at least half-an-hour Harry's thoughts started spilling out of him.

"I'm sorry Malfoy," Harry said. He took a deep breath. "I'm sorry I killed your father. I'm not sorry I killed Lucius Malfoy, but sorry that he was you father and now he's gone. If I could go back I would change things. I would figure out a way to stun him or something, even just keep him busy until Remus and Kingsley got there."

Harry wasn't sure how long he talked to the unconscious boy who was supposedly his rival. He wasn't sure how long he just sat in the chair next to Malfoy's bed and stared out the window at the grounds of Hogwarts, seeing but not paying attention to a fourth-year Care of Magical Creatures lesson in front of Hagrid's cottage.

"I thought I told you those glasses were a liability."

Harry turned his head to see that Snape was standing at the foot of the bed. Harry took off his glasses and threw them to Snape, who caught them out of reflex.

"Try them on," Harry prompted.

Snape did as Harry asked, blinked his eyes a few times, then took them off and looked at them curiously, "Just plain glass?"

"The element of surprise is formidable. If someone took my glasses away they would expect me to be nearly blind. The potion you suggested worked just fine," Harry said dully.

Snape conjured another chair and sat down on the other side of the bed. He handed the glasses across the bed and Harry put them on.

"I also just feel better with them on," Harry continued. "It's like something's missing without them."

"How do _you_ feel?" Snape asked.

Harry opened his mouth to give his usual answer, to say he was fine, but found he couldn't. His gaze returned to see Hagrid's students headed back towards the castle. He felt decades older than them, not just two years. There were many deaths he felt responsible for, but this one was different. He looked at his Potions Master without an answer and saw an understanding in the former spy's eyes.

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

Please Review!

ooOoo


	21. Chapter 21

A/N: A very brief tribute to _The Princess Bride_ (also not mine) in this section.

**Changes**

**Part Twenty-One**

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

In the weeks following the Easter holiday Harry continued to isolate himself. Now that the entire wizarding world knew that Harry and Snape had voluntarily gone on a rescue mission together, they no longer needed to act as though they hated each other. Old habits died hard.

They still snapped at each other, and Snape continued to take copious amounts of points from Gryffindor. There were occasions when a student would be shocked to stumble upon the two of them engaged in polite conversation or friendly debate. As soon as the intruder was noticed the conversation would stop, leaving the student to wonder if they were hallucinating.

Draco Malfoy woke after two weeks in the hospital wing. There was no mental impairment, much to the disappointment of many Gryffindors, but his nervous system had been damaged due to prolonged exposure under the Cruciatus Curse. He was transferred to St. Mungo's only days after he woke for extensive therapy to stop the severe tremors that bordered on seizures. It would be months before he could hold a wand.

Harry did not get a chance to talk to Malfoy before he was transferred. Snape had told Malfoy everything that happened the night of his father's death but refused to tell Harry the Slytherin's reaction. The refusal ended in one of their more spectacular arguments and a loss of thirty points from Gryffindor.

There was a brief inquest into Lucius Malfoy's death held in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and conducted by Amelia Bones. Kingsley Shackelbolt and Joshua Chambers testified along with Snape and Harry. Harry was given a Commendation, just one step below the Order of Merlin Third Class. Minister Fudge was not present and Harry suspected he hadn't been informed of the inquiry's timing.

Just after the hearing Kingsley pulled Harry aside, "Harry, there is a mandatory visit to the Department Counselor after an Auror's first kill. It might help if you talked to him. It certainly helped me."

Harry looked up at the older Order member warily. He suspected that Albus had put Kingsley up to this but it was possible... just possible... that Kingsley was acting on own experience and concern. Before he could analyze it too much and loose his nerve Harry nodded.

Kingsley led him away from Amelia's office and through the maze of auror cubicles, about half of which were occupied by very busy people. Harry heard a crash somewhere in the maze, a curse, and guessed that Tonks was on duty. They passed a few doors and many people that Harry didn't know. Several of them looked up and greeted Kingsley casually, giving Harry no more than a nod or a smile.

"Amelia mentioned you were coming by this morning," Kingsley whispered. "All the Aurors on duty either knew your folks or do some work for the Order. Here we are," a door opened and Kingsley stepped inside. A man that Harry guessed was around McGonagall's age was sitting behind a large desk piled high with papers. There were two comfortable looking chairs off to the side in front of a roaring fire. "Harry, this is Raymond Wallace. Ray, meet Harry Potter. Just send me a note when you two are done."

Ray stood up and smiled at Harry. He gestured to the chairs and they sat down as Kingsley left the room. It was awkward at first, but Harry gradually relaxed as they talked about innocuous subjects: quidditch, Hogwarts, defense techniques. Ray had been an Auror before he was injured in a raid early in his career, leaving him prone to dizzy spells and therefore unfit for duty. He had gotten a muggle doctorate degree in psychology and been rehired by the Ministry immediately. He gave a wizard's oath to Harry that nothing they talked about would be repeated.

"Malfoy wasn't my first," Harry said eventually.

"Your first?"

"Kill," there was a long pause during which Ray's expression showed nothing other than interest and concern. "How much do you know about me?"

"Only what the rest of the wizarding world has heard," Ray told him and then smiled, "so I'd say very little. The_ Daily Prophet_ has not been a good place to find facts of late."

Harry looked at the enchanted window behind Ray. The maintenance staff had provided a tropical storm that day, perhaps pushing for a raise again. The weather reminded Harry of how his thoughts felt lately, tossed left, right, up, down without warning. He was hardly aware of when he began speaking. He told the whole story of his involvement with the Sorcerer's Stone.

"How did you feel when the Headmaster told you that Quirrell died?" Ray asked.

"I'm not sure," Harry admitted. "There were so many other things to think about and Albus made it sound like it was his fault, but looking back I know it was me. I think he was trying to protect me... Severus says it was Voldemort's fault. He has a point, but at the time I knew I was hurting him and I held on with everything I had. It was self defense but it was still killing."

"How do you feel about it now?"

"Guilty... sad... I never got to meet the real Quirrell. I sometimes wonder what he was like before Voldemort was controlling him," Harry said, still looking out the window. The storm had cleared and wet leaves were clinging to the glass.

"How about Cedric Diggory and Sirius Black?" Ray asked softly.

Someone had definitely briefed him. Harry stiffened, "I can't talk about them."

"That's fine. I won't push you to talk about anything that makes you uncomfortable," Ray assured him. "It is important to discuss these things when you are ready, with someone you trust."

Harry nodded. He was far from ready, and was afraid of what such a discussion would do. If he gave in to his anger and let go of his guilt he could end up just like Voldemort. It was better to keep it all locked up deep inside... for now.

"I know you've trained in the Unforgivable Curses," Ray said. Harry looked at him and cocked an eyebrow. "Your reluctance to use the killing curse, and resorting to another method when the need arises, is a good sign. You have a conscience. You hesitate before seriously hurting an enemy. You feel guilt and compassion in their passing. Tom Riddle felt none of these things. The only similarities between you Harry are superficial, meaningless."

"You knew him...," Harry said in dawning understanding.

Ray nodded, "I was in Ravenclaw, his competition for Head Boy. I never believed that Hagrid opened the chamber. Tom is the reason I'm of no use in the field."

Harry nodded. He looked intently at the older wizard, "You talk to Albus too much."

The man's eyes widened, confirming Harry's suspicions, "Actually I spend more time with his brother. Not all the Order's members attend those meetings."

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

Minerva smiled when she saw the twinkle in his eye. It had been an attribute she associated only with Albus and his nephew until this year and therefore did not miss it in Harry Potter until it returned. It was there for only a moment before N.E.W.T. level Transfiguration started as the Gryffindor discussed something with Lisa Turpin of Ravenclaw, one of the DA members. There were only a few weeks until end of term exams and then the school would empty for another summer. As usual, Minerva would be staying at the school during the summer holiday. Ever since her husband had died at Voldemort's hand Hogwarts had been her home.

She had the sixth year students working on human to inanimate object transfiguration. They had already managed human to partial animal and the animagus transformation was not permitted to be taught in a classroom setting. It normally took too long to learn in any event. With that thought she cast another look in Harry Potter's direction.

The famous Gryffindor was brandishing his wand at Lisa Turpin with a mischievous look on his face. The expression made him look more like James than ever, though the twinkle in his eye was decidedly a Dumbledore trait. Harry flicked his wand and Lisa became a statue of the Venus De Milo dressed in open Ravenclaw robes. Harry whipped out a camera and took a picture before changing her back.

"You did it!" Lisa exclaimed and hugged Harry. "What was I?"

Harry held up the camera and grinned, "You'll just have to wait and see."

She scowled and shook her wand at him, "Harry Potter, you better not have done something to embarrass me!"

"Me? Embarrass you? Why ever would I do something like that?" Harry feigned innocence.

Minerva saw that her whole class was watching the exchange by that point but the two teens had failed to notice their audience. Minerva walked in their direction as Lisa leaned in towards Harry and whispered something in his ear. He turned red and the class erupted in laughter. They both looked around finally and the red deepened.

"Perhaps Miss Turpin could also get some practice in today?" Minerva said sternly. They both nodded, "Mr. Potter you will stay behind at the end of class."

"Albus wants you to consider a few things before you meet on Sunday," Minerva said once the door was locked and silencing charms were in place. "What is your current impression of Percy Weasley?"

The mischievous teen that had been transfigured into a flower pot, complete with tulips, only ten minutes before disappeared and was replaced with a serious young man. He chewed on his lower lip, "I'm not sure."

Minerva looked at him and raised an eyebrow. Though she was the Head of House for Gryffindor and had recommended Percy for the Head Boy position she did not know him well. Of all the Weasley siblings she probably knew the twins best, "Continue."

"Percy is the odd one out in the family," Harry said after some thought. "Bill was Head Boy, but he's more easygoing. It's like Percy always has something to prove. Ron was like that until this year. I think that the fight at the Ministry last spring gave a reality check."

"Do you think Percy is trustworthy?" Minerva probed. She knew that Albus valued Harry's opinion and she was coming to value it as well.

"I can't help but remember that Scabbers belonged to Percy before he was Ron's pet," Harry said with a sigh. "Wormtail and Percy are linked in my mind that way, especially after last year. Albus is considering bringing him into the Order, isn't he?"

"Percy's position in the Ministry would provide an excellent source of information," Minerva observed.

"I know," Harry replied and chewed on his lower lip in thought. "You know, only the trusted can become traitors. I'll think about it before I see Albus."

Harry got up to leave and Minerva watched him walk away. As he got to the door she undid her locking spell and spoke again, "Ten points to Gryffindor for an excellent transfiguration. Next time Harry, pick something a little less risqué."

He turned and twinkled at her, "Why that would take the fun out of life." With a grin he ran out of the room before she could respond.

Percy was present at the next Order meeting. They were right that his Ministry position would provide valuable intelligence information. Fudge used the redhead as a sounding board, even before he approached Albus. After the attempt to pass the blame for Umbridge onto Percy the young man had decided that his loyalties did not lie with Fudge. He had no trouble discussing the Minister's intentions with the Order. Minerva noticed that Harry Jameson kept his distance from Percy and occasionally looked at him with what seemed to be a combination of distrust and sadness. Not for the first time she wondered exactly what the headmaster's nephew knew.

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

"Some of the ingredients we are working with today are particularly dangerous. Should you inhale or touch the iocane powder with your bare hands see me instantly. It is one of the deadlier substances known to man," Snape warned his class.

Harry was only paying attention with half his mind. The other half of his mind was wandering back to his last meeting with Albus.

_"I want it to end Albus," Harry complained. "People are dying almost daily. I don't know how much longer I can read these articles and just watch it all unfold when I have the power to stop it."_

_Albus held Harry in his most penetrating gaze, "Do you feel you are ready?"_

_Harry started to shrug, but nodded instead, "I don't see how I could be more ready. There's only so much that can be used against him."_

_"You are not to seek him out Harry," Albus said sternly._

_"I know," Harry almost whispered. "We have to bring him to me. I want to weaken the wards on Privet Drive." Albus raised his eyebrows. "You know he won't attack here, your stronghold, until he's sure he can win and the wizarding world will be practically decimated by then. The Dursley house is another matter. I'm alone there, with muggles and maybe one or two Order members. He'll believe he has surprise and numbers on his side."_

_"I will consider it Harry," Albus allowed._

_Harry nodded._

"Potter!"

Harry jumped, "Yes, sir?"

"Do you plan on starting your potion today, or do you plan on having detention in which to work in?" Snape said maliciously.

"Sorry, sir," Harry said meekly and started arranging his ingredients.

"That's ten points from Gryffindor Potter," Snape said predictably.

Harry ignored him and got to work. Talking with the Auror counselor had helped immensely. Harry had transitioned from his depressive apathetic state to being filled with a nervous tension. Hermione had commented on the tension in the air around him more than once and the more powerful students and teachers gave him odd looks when they got close to him.

As usual, sleep was difficult for Harry that night. He would manage a few hours of sleep each night, often with the help of Dreamless Sleep. It was one of the few potions that Harry could brew from memory and there was always a batch ready. He had worked extra hard to perfect it, knowing he would need to brew it at the Dursleys' house. He couldn't rely on Snape forever.

Late at night, Harry couldn't shake the feeling that something would happen soon. After wandering the corridors for hours he stood at the top of the tower where he and Hermione had met Charlie Weasley with Norbert the Norwegian Ridgeback. His skin was prickling with anticipation. Harry had a fleeting thought of his cousin Dudley with a cigarette hanging from his lip. If the smell didn't disgust him Harry would have been sorely tempted to take up smoking that spring.

He stepped to the edge of the tower and looked down. It was a long drop to the rocky base. He stepped off the parapet and allowed himself to freefall for a few seconds before he transformed. A warm updraft lifted him as he spread his wings. His nighttime flying and clandestine meetings with Lisa were the only things keeping Harry sane of late. The meetings were ending though. Lisa was romantically interested in a seventh-year Ravenclaw and Harry didn't want to interfere.

The approaching weekend would be the second full moon during which Harry would accompany Remus. After four months of arguing by letter and in person after dueling lessons and Order meetings, Harry had convinced the werewolf to let him join him at Lupin Cottage for his transformations. It hadn't taken nearly as long to convince Albus. Harry just told him he was going whether he had permission or not. With a soft chuckle and a twinkle in his eye the headmaster submitted and offered his fireplace for secure transportation.

Harry soared through the air and performed dizzying aerial acrobatics. When he landed back on the tower he glanced at his watch. If he headed directly back to Gryffindor Tower he could get a few hours of sleep before breakfast and Charms. As Harry did after each time he transformed he patted his pockets and checked his holsters. He had everything.

Without knowing why Harry was on guard as he walked through the corridors, his senses wide open for the slightest hint of magical energy. He felt something that wasn't quite right, that was discordant with the castle's energy. When he was nearing the portrait of the fat lady he paused. Before he knew what he was doing his wand was in his hand.

"Come out slowly with your hands visible," he commanded the unknown energy in the darkness.

A small shape flew out from the shadows and clattered to the ground. A wand rolled to a stop just before Harry's feet. He took a step back in case it was cleverly disguised Portkey, not about to be fooled again. He looked up as Peter Pettigrew slunk out of the shadows, a supplicant on his knees.

Harry felt a slight tremble in his wand hand as the rage threatened to overwhelm his control, "Give me one good reason not to kill you right now Wormtail!"

"Please Harry," Wormtail gasped with his head bowed, "I know I don't deserve anything from you. I – I just can't do it."

"What?" Harry demanded. When there was no answer Harry felt his patience running low and sparks flew out of his wand. Wormtail flinched. "WHAT?"

"He... he wants me to kill Remus," Wormtail sobbed and held out his shaking silver hand. "I can't. I won't. I'll tell you everything. Please just take me to Dumbledore."

Harry wavered for a moment. It would be so easy to get his revenge for Cedric, for Sirius, for his parents. But Wormtail wasn't truly responsible. In the end it all came down to Voldemort even if Wormtail had a part. Though the two words were on the tip of his tongue Harry hesitated. Wormtail was unarmed and had given himself up. It would truly be murder and a sure step on the path Harry feared the most. Harry flicked out his secondary wand and passed it over Wormtail's wand while his primary wand was kept on Wormtail. There were no harmful spells on the wand, just a tracking spell.

"He knows you're here," Harry said quietly.

Wormtail gulped, "I know. He sent me to gather information on Remus's location."

"Walk in front of me with your hands folded on top of your hand. Move slowly and go directly to the headmaster's office," Harry commanded.

They began the long walk from Gryffindor Tower to Albus's office in silence. Harry contemplated the man in front of him. How did Peter Pettigrew, the shy boy Harry had heard described, become this thing? Harry could not fathom one of his friends becoming like this thing walking before him.

"Why?" Harry whispered, almost not aware he spoke out loud.

"What?" Peter jumped and twisted towards Harry.

"Turn around and keep walking," Harry ordered. He took a deep breath, "I asked why."

Harry saw that Wormtail's shaking increased, "I love Lily and James, and Sirius and Remus. I still do. I only did what I had to do and I would do it all again."

"How can you say that?" Harry asked incredulously.

"It was war then Harry, as it is now," Wormtail explained. "Sometimes something good and beautiful has to die for everything else good and beautiful to go on."

Harry stared at the back of the balding head with his jaw open in surprise. If he hadn't thought so before he was now convinced that Wormtail was crazy. Even this crazy man, though, might have some information that the Order needed. The gargoyle that guarded the entrance to Albus's sanctuary opened with a nod from Harry and no password. Harry had discovered that year that the gargoyle was sentient and it now knew that Harry was always allowed access. Harry and Wormtail stepped onto the spiral stairs and entered Albus's office to see four wands pointed in their direction.

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

Please Review!

ooOoo


	22. Chapter 22

**Changes**

**Part Twenty-Two**

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

Wormtail's trial cleared the name of Sirius Black. For his part Harry was awarded the Order of Merlin Second Class, the youngest to ever receive such a distinction. Wormtail gave up more information than any captured Death Eater in that second war against Voldemort. He was sentenced to only ten years in Azkaban, not such a bad thing now that the dementors were gone from the prison.

Exams passed almost without Harry noticing. His tension and sense of anticipation were still keeping him wound tight. Though he would not be riding the Hogwarts Express back to Privet Drive, as he was a security risk, he joined his roommates in packing their belongings. For once Harry actually wanted to return to the Dursley house. He had finally convinced Albus to remove several of the wards that kept him safe there, though the plan was not shared with the Order. The wards that remained would take long enough to break for the Ministry and the Order to get to Privet Drive to help Harry.

Along with the Order of Merlin Second Class came permission for Harry to use magic outside of Hogwarts and his apparition license, even though he wasn't of age until the end of July. The Order would not have to threaten the Dursleys that year. After dinner with the staff Harry was going to apparate to Privet Drive to do his homework and wait for Voldemort.

He looked around his room sadly, wondering if he would return the next year. He saw Neville carefully folding a colorful blanket he had never really seen before, "Where did you get that Neville?"

The quiet boy looked up in surprise. Harry noticed that his friend had slimmed a bit and grown a few inches. He was looking more and more like the powerful wizard that was buried somewhere inside.

"It was a gift from friends of my mum and dad," Neville said quietly as he smoothed the folds and lowered the blanket gently into his trunk. "They were away when the attack happened and sent it to me from India. Gran says that something about it comforted me."

Harry walked over and looked down into the boy's trunk. The others in the room kept packing but were sneaking looks at the conversation.

"It's beautiful," Harry commented. "Do you know who it was that sent it?"

Neville shook his head, "Gran never said. If I know them, they've never mentioned it."

"Remus was traveling then," Harry whispered. "So was Professor Jameson. They were in Gryffindor with your dad. I think he's in some of my pictures." Harry looked up and really considered Neville's face for the first time. "You look a bit like him."

Neville looked at Harry with an expression that Harry recognized deep within. Though Neville had family he probably didn't know as much about his parents as he wanted to. With his mediocre grades and clumsiness, Neville had probably never been favorably compared to his father until Harry did.

Harry flicked out his wand and summoned the photo album that Hagrid had given him. The others had finished packing and they all settled on Neville's bed to look through the pictures. Neville, Ron, and Seamus recognized some of the people in the pictures that Harry hadn't been able to put a name to before.

Wondering at the uncharacteristic quiet from the boys' room, Hermione and Ginny came in and joined in them. Hermione and Ron snuggled up together and Ginny climbed onto Dean's lap. Her joke on Ron had become a reality not long after their winter holiday. Only a few minutes later, the Creevey brothers walked in with more pictures to pass out to various Gryffindors before everyone left for the year. Eventually, the entire Gryffindor contingency of the DA, nearly the entire tower, was in the sixth year boys' room looking at the pictures of many of their parents' years at Hogwarts. Several of them ran to their rooms and came back with their own albums once they saw what was going on.

Hermione fetched a charm book from her room and found a spell to copy pictures. Soon most of the room had learned the spell and were getting copies of pictures that other people had that showed their parents. Harry produced an empty scrapbook and copied every picture he had with Frank Longbottom and put them in the book for Neville. Several pictures with Lily and James Potter were added to Harry's book.

The time flew by, and none of the Gryffindors realized that they were missing the leaving feast until McGonagall came looking for them. The look on her face when she found them all in the boys' dorm on one magically enlarged bed was captured on Creevey camera and Colin promised to owl copies to everyone. A laughing crowd entered the great hall to see many very confused people discussing the nearly empty Gryffindor table.

Though Gryffindor won the quidditch cup, as Harry had actually made it to every game that year and Slytherin had to reconstruct their team more than once that season, Ravenclaw won the House Cup that year. The Snape and Potter animosity, or acting out of it anyway, had cost Gryffindor a large number of points. Many had speculated that the absence of Fred and George Weasley would assure the Gryffindor the cup but the twins had left a void that too many had tried to fill.

Harry saw the train off and endured more hugs than he had received cumulatively in his entire life. Every DA member wanted to make sure they said good-bye to him, as they were all aware of the uncertain safety outside of Hogwarts' wards. When the train was only a spec in the distance Harry turned back to the castle and saw that his trunk, Hedwig's cage, and his Firebolt were all waiting in the entrance hall for his departure. He had a final duel with Jameson and Snape opposite him before he left for Privet Drive.

Aunt Petunia shrieked when Harry arrived in the kitchen with a crack.

"What are you doing boy?" Uncle Vernon yelled, his face already turning purple.

Harry shrugged and looked calmly at his relatives, "Magic."

They all paled when Harry drew his wand. He pointed it at his belongings and levitated them up the stairs, leaving his shaking and spluttering relations behind. Once in his room Harry opened Hedwig's cage and the snowy owl flew to his shoulder. He stroked the feathers on her chest.

"It's just you and me girl," Harry said softly with a tinge of sadness.

The days passed by and blended together. Harry continued to do a fair amount of the chores around the house, usually without magic to the relief of the Dursleys. He transformed the closet in his bedroom into a safe potions lab and kept his supply of Dreamless Sleep stocked. Late at night when Harry couldn't sleep, he would disillusion himself and transform into his griffin form to fly around the neighborhood.

His birthday was the next day. Albus had offered on his one of many visits to have a birthday celebration at Hogwarts for Harry, but Harry turned him down. With luck he would have many years ahead of him to celebrate his birthday. He could go one more year at the Dursleys' without a party. Harry didn't want to risk leaving Privet Drive and their plan falling apart. Albus had been there earlier that day. When he left he hugged Harry more tightly than he ever had before, surprising the almost seventeen-year-old. Harry had returned the hug gratefully.

"Damn you Snape," Harry muttered and flicked his wand. A book soared out of his trunk and landed on the desk. Harry flipped it open to the page he needed and continued to work on his summer homework. He truly didn't care why the discovery of the reaction of phoenix tears with powdered unicorn horn advanced the science of medical potions.

Harry had saved his potions homework for last. Flitwick's essay on warding and construction charms had been completed a week into the holiday. His transfiguration essay was specifically assigned for him. He had to research transfiguration involving magical creatures and relate it to his own animagus form. After a frustrated and probably too harshly worded letter to Albus in which he freely cursed Snape in language that would have earned him a month of detentions, Remus had shown up at Privet Drive and taken a list of books that Harry needed to complete his homework. It wasn't like he could go to the library on Diagon Alley that summer, or any summer really.

Harry leafed through various potions that used both phoenix tears and powdered unicorn horn to discover that the two ingredients were always combined separately before they were added to a potion. He was intrigued and started searching for a potion where that wasn't the case. Dudley's snores were starting to annoy him and Harry raised his wand to set a silencing ward around his room when he felt the house shake.

It wasn't the house, he sensed moments later. It was the more like air itself inside the house was disturbed. Harry snuffed the single candle he was working by, not being partial to the fluorescent lights the Dursleys provided in his room, and crept carefully to the window.

All of the street lights were out. Harry swore under his breath.

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

He transformed into his griffin form for better night and long range vision. In the distance cloaked figures were approaching. Harry Potter sprang into action. It would take less than ten minutes for the Ministry and the Order to respond and probably about seven for the wards to fall. He transformed back into human form as he ran out of his room.

Dudley's door flew open without disturbing the whale of a boy on the strained bed. Harry cast a sleeping charm on his cousin and levitated him into his aunt and uncle's room. He set Dudley down on the floor and cast sleeping charms on the remaining Dursleys. He then began casting a series of wards he had decided on for this purpose when he did his charms homework. He magically reinforced the walls, floor, and ceiling of the room, making it impervious to fire, water, or collapse.

He cast the most advanced locking charm he knew on the door and set it to break when Voldemort died. Harry put the emergency Portkey that Dumbledore had made for him on the floor with a short note that he hoped his aunt would understand. If the Dursleys were in trouble they would wake and they could escape to the Hogwarts hospital wing. If Harry was killed they could still escape.

Harry looked out the back window and saw Belletrix Lestrange walking onto the property. He clenched his teeth in anger and forced himself to ignore her presence. He couldn't get distracted by that desire for revenge now. He grabbed a robe from his room and threw it on to hide his secondary wand. He didn't bother with a shirt or shoes. There was no time. He opened the door only as wide as he needed to slip through and stunned a Death Eater who had their back turned as they fought an auror.

The auror nodded and turned to fight another opponent. Harry cast a quick succession of curses, praying that they hit only foes. Though all the Death Eaters wore black, it was also the most common color for any witch or wizard to wear. From behind it impossible to tell friend from foe. The scene before him could only be described as chaos. Harry kept a shield up wandlessly while he cast curses left and right. A Cruciatus Curse got through and sent him to his knees. Harry gritted his teeth and fought through the excruciating pain. He spun towards his attacker, _Avada Kedavra!_

Harry almost froze when he saw the green light shoot out of his wand and hit his human target. Snape was right. It felt oddly good, in a sick empty way, to cast that curse and end a life. Harry shook himself out of his daze and stunned a Death Eater that was turning to attack him. He saw another that was killing left and right, friend and foe alike, not aiming his curses. The green light was flying without aim and the Death Eater killed more of his associates that he did aurors. Harry aimed carefully and cast the killing curse again, taking the loose cannon out.

Harry saw faces he recognized. Bill Weasley's long red hair was bound behind him as he fought ferociously, most of his curses in a language Harry assumed Bill had learned in Egypt. It was only a few days until the full moon and Harry saw Remus fighting, the wolf in him clearly affecting the man. He moved faster than any human should be able to. Harry finally saw the fight he was meant to enter. Albus was fighting Voldemort. The power coming off the two of them could be felt above the magic of the other participants in the battle.

Harry was running towards them, stunning anyone in his way, when time stopped for the teenager. A high ringing laugh echoed in his head as Voldemort cast the killing curse and struck Albus Dumbledore. Harry thought his heart would break in two as he cried out.

Voldemort turned and saw Harry approaching. Fallen bodies lay around them, giving them a clear circle in which to duel.

"The old fool cannot save you tonight boy," Voldemort hissed. "Are you ready to join him?"

Harry smiled, knowing it would infuriate the Dark Lord, "I don't plan to die tonight."

"Do you think you can kill me?"

"The prophecy says I can," Harry said calmly then lied outright, "and that I will."

He saw the fear flash in Voldemort's eyes.

"Aw, what's the matter Tommy?" Harry taunted with a grin. "Is the big bad mudblood Dark Lord scared? Do you want your mummy or your muggle daddy?"

"Shut up boy!" Voldemort shrieked.

"Nah," Harry laughed even as his soul cried out for his mentor, the only man who had truly acted as a father. "I think I'll keep annoying you. Did Severus surprise you? He's been spying since before my parents died, since before I was born. I think he was still a teenager when he turned. How dumb are you? A man who teaches children fooled you for years!

"No curse? Are you afraid that it will bounce back again? How did it feel to die Tom? When I beat you as a little baby did it hurt? Did you cry for Mummy to make it stop? Did you feel your soul get ripped out of your body?"

The red eyes flashed, "You're about to find out. _Avada Kedavra!_"

At the same time that Voldemort cast the killing curse Harry yelled out, "_Expelliarmus!_"

The golden cage of Priori Incantatum surrounded them and phoenix song filled Harry's grieving soul. Before Voldemort could react and force the spell to regurgitate spells from Harry's wand, Harry flicked his left wrist and yelled the instant the wood of his secondary wand touched his hand.

_Avada Kedavra!_

Harry thought of his love for his parents, his friends, and for Albus. The killing curse did not have to be cast with hate but most often was. What the wizarding world did not know was that the curse cast with love was exponentially more powerful. Rather than a simple jet of green light shooting out of his wand to strike down the Dark Lord, a continuous beam hit Voldemort, engulfing his whole body in a glowing green light. The green glow outshone the gold of the Priori Incantatum and Harry's scar erupted into mind shattering pain.

The pain was worse than any Harry had ever experienced. He fought to keep his eyes open as the body of the Dark Lord fell and the connection between their wands broke. It all seemed to happen in slow motion. As Voldemort's body fell the green light of the curse was sucked in. Harry was never sure, but he could have sworn he saw a red glow shoot out from the dying man. He felt the pulse of pure magical energy hit him and lift him off his feet. Harry flew back and lost the fight against consciousness.

His last thought was to notice that the pain in his scar was completely gone. Voldemort was dead.

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

THE END

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

A/N: Wow, that felt good. If you've read these fics in the order intended you can see that the circle is completed, or is it a Mobius strip, never ending? If you read this first and want to know if Harry is alive or dead, and what happens next, read Healing, followed by Another Chance and Behind Blue Eyes.

Please Review!

ooOoo


End file.
